Dangan Ronpa 3: Here, Despair and Everywhere
by ZooTycoon223
Summary: New England Hope Academy, a prestigious institution set up as part of the United States Hope Super High School Level Despair is spreading, these academies are spread across the continental United States to protect its brightest individuals and continue their 16 Students are thrown into unexpected chaos and are forced to survive the
1. Prologue (Part 1)

Alright, everyone, this story here is three or four weeks in the making. It's taken so long because as a prerequisite I made over 100 sprites for 16 characters. Basically, after reading the playthroughs of both Dangan Ronpas, I wanted more. So, I decided to make my own. I only hope you guys enjoy it as much as I am.

Italics indicate the thoughts of Ileum Seong, our main character and protagonist.

* * *

Hope and Despair, two polar opposites. These two powerful forces are constantly in conflict. Naturally, hope is always expected to triumph. It isn't until despair gains the upper hand that people start to become alarmed.

That is exactly what happened. Super High School Level Despair had started, all due to the actions of a single girl. The force of unbridled despair was enough to throw Japan into chaos. The other superpowers of the world caught wind of the situation and realized that something must be done to help prevent the absolute destruction of hope.

For the United States of America, it meant the United States Hope Project. The nation was split into regions, and within each region a school was built, much like the original Hope's Peak Academy in Japan. Once the region's academy was constructed, students were gathered from each of the region's states, each state contributing students based on overall population. The academies were to serve as shelters from despair, as well as helping the students of each academy to continue developing and perfect their Super High School Level talents.

For the region of New England, the New England Hope Academy was constructed in the small state of Connecticut. Students were gathered from Connecticut, as well as the surrounding states of Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine.

Ileum Seong looked up at the building that towered over her, shining brilliantly in the early morning sun. She returned the gleam with a serious but confident gaze. She had expectations for the year that was in front of her. Despair was slowly infecting the world, but the building in front of her represented hope and optimism in every way she could imagine.

"I just hope this year goes off without a hitch." She mused to herself.

"Right, time to make history." Ileum nodded to herself. She grabbed the door handle with a firm grip and turned it, the large door opening slowly with a reassuring creak. She stood in the school's main hallway, making a note of the building's craftsmanship.

_Huh, that's weird. I feel…dizzy._ Ileum couldn't help but notice that she felt off. She walked over to a wall and rested her arm on it, taking a deep breath. That attempt, however, was futile, as it only left her feeling like she had less oxygen than she began with.

_Th-this isn't normal. This is-_, she felt herself lose control mid-sentence. Her thought train left her and she fells to her knees, clutching her stomach weakly. Her vision went fuzzy and then turned black.

Ileum began to stir. Her eyes cracked slowly, and she attempted to take in her surroundings.

_W-where am I? This is…a classroom? Why am I here?_

She was right; she had awoken in a classroom. The first thing she noticed was the state of the classroom. It was empty, save for herself. She saw a monitor mounted on the wall and a camera opposite it.

_A…camera? Are we filming a documentary?_

No, that was a stupid thought. She continued to look around the room. There were doodles and the chalkboard, but otherwise it contained little of use to her. It was then that she observed the far wall. What she assumed were windows lined the wall, only, there were no actual windows. In place of windows were thick metal plates bolted in place. She approached one and pulled on it.

_Nope, those are really sturdy, looks like they won't be moving anytime soon._

She turned and saw something that caught her eye. It was a piece of paper on the desk she had found herself sitting at upon waking up. She walked over to the desk and picked up the paper. She eyed it through narrowed eyes before beginning to read it.

_Hmmm….who wrote this thing, anyway? It's so crudely done. My dog has better penmanship than this. Wait, what does that say? Student orientation at 8:00?_

She paused, remembering that she saw a clock minutes before. She looked at the clock, and saw that it read '8:15'. She groaned. Late to orientation on the first day. She crumpled the paper and stormed out of the classroom. She stepped into the hallway and looked around, trying to get her bearings. She figured that the most obvious place for an orientation would be a big room like an auditorium or a gymnasium, so obviously that's where she'd go.

_Small problem, self. You have no clue where those places are._

She shook her head in frustration. No matter, she was good with directions; she'd be able to get there on her own. In fact, she would have too. She didn't even notice she had begun walking while deep in thought. She stopped, noticing several other doors lining the hallway.

_I'm already late enough as it is, might as well take my sweet time._

She closed her eyes and pointed, picking a room at random and entering it. The first thing she noticed was the same metal panels blocking out all light.

_Just as I thought. This isn't normal. Maybe I should pick up the pace and go see if I can find anyone else._

Yeah, that was a good idea. She turned and exited the room, making haste as she walked down the hallway. The hallway opened into a large room. She looked around, not seeing anyone but making a note of her surroundings. She noticed several vending machines lining the wall opposite her, several benches and a large, crystal chandelier in the middle of the room. She also noticed several more doorways.

_This could potentially take more time than I had hoped. Maybe if I just... listen for voices?_

Ileum Seong, Super High School Level Hunter. She has competed in countless hunting competitions worldwide, even holding world records for largest deer killed with a pistol and most deer killed in a single competition. Her hunting abilities are what earned her the nickname 'Bambi', a shout out to the popular Disney movie in which the main character, Bambi, is a deer whose mother is killed by a hunter. She, of course, has never seen the movie, but her favorite Disney villain is, without a doubt, the hunter. Her seemingly superhuman hearing makes her impossible to run from, and she has sharp vision and a steady hand. Of course, she spends more time in the wilderness than with people, so her social skills are less than stellar.

She inhaled deeply and shut her eyes. Human voices, just listen for the first one you can hear and head in its direction.

_Nothing is happening, I don-wait, I can hear something. It sounds loud, sassy and kind of ostentatious. Not exactly the most desirable voice, but a voice nonetheless. I just have to follow it and then._

Ileum stepped through an archway and into what she assumed to be a grand entrance. More important, there were fifteen other individuals in the room with her.

"Gurl, you're late. Where the hell you been?" A larger, black woman stepped forward, placing a hand on her hip. That's it, that was the voice that led Ileum here.

"I was looking around." Ileum replied, squinting her eyes at the other woman.

"Well ain't you get the note? We were all supposed to meet at 8:00. It's like, 8:25 or something." The black girl responded.

"Well excuse me for investigating a new and unfamiliar place." Ileum exhaled.


	2. Prologue (Part 2)

Like always, italics indicate the thoughts of Ileum.

* * *

Ileum wouldn't admit this to anyone, but the large woman had a point. Then again, she couldn't actually remember falling asleep, and she could not fathom how she ended up in that classroom.

"Aight, whatever. I'm Jewel, Jewel Washington." The black girl shifted her weight and rolled her eyes.

Ileum had done some reading about her fellow students beforehand, in an attempt to get to know the people she would most likely avoid during the year. Jewel Washington, Super High School Level Hairdresser, was well known around the country for being gifted with steady hands and an eye for detail. She went around the country, visiting celebrities, award shows and any person willing to pay her exorbitant price tag. She was always ridiculously high in demand, and was a celebrity in her own right.

"I'm Ileum Seong." Ileum returned the introduction monotonously.

"Gurl, I know you. You that hunter chick who takes pleasure outta killing cute little animals." Jewel squinted her eyes.

"The very same." Ileum said, the corner of her mouth turning up slightly.

Jewel shook her head before continuing, "I could tell you why that's wrong, but I doubt you'd listen. You should probably go meet the rest of them; we got something we think is important to discuss."

_Great, more people that I don't care about meeting. Whatever, maybe once I've met them all we can figure out what's going on._

Ileum couldn't help but notice that the remaining kids had broken into groups for her convenience. She approached the first group of five with a sigh, ready to get this whole charade over with. Ileum noticed a blonde with a long, white lab coat and icy blue eyes that sent a shiver down her spine.

"Hello, my name is Arienne Roche."

Arienne Roche, Super High School Level Dermatologist. Her profile says that she cleanses the impurities of her patients with icy precision. Of course, her frigid demeanor leaves many of her acquaintances leaving more when it comes to social interaction, none of them can argue with her results.

_I guess she really isn't one for words. Right, on to the next one._

Ileum saw a male with extremely…loud hair step up to her.

"Gurl, you know something up with his weave." Jewel called from her spot at the entrance.

"Yo, I'm Bruce, bet you've been waiting to meet someone charming in here, huh?"

Bruce Bates, Super High School Level Beat-boxer. Despite his interesting sense of style, he was very skilled with his mouth…

_Okay, who the fuck wrote that? I cannot believe someone would word it like that._

All innuendo aside, Bruce has a talent for making the most strange and inhuman noises with his mouth, which, apparently, people love. Ileum didn't understand the appeal, but she didn't really understand modern music anyway.

"Yeah, you're, uh, something, alright." Ileum gave him a stoic look.

"Y-yeah, um, I'm gonna go, o-over there now." Bruce scratched the back of his head and walked away, only for his spot to be filled by a loud brunet.

"Buongiorno, Ileum, the name's Enzo Carideo."

Enzo Carideo, Super High School Level Architect. An Italian-American designer with is as skilled with his words as he is with a pencil. He's designed iconic building around the world, most of which were actually fully built, the most recent one being completed only last month.

"An architect, huh?"

"Uh huh, it helps me appreciate the beauty of things people might not always find beautiful. I trust you noticed the fine curvature of the archway upon entering the school building." Enzo grinned.

"I, uh, well, I looked at it and said, 'Okay', does that count?" Ileum blinked.

"Well, I…not really?" Enzo frowned.

"Sorry to disappoint you, then." Ileum said as Enzo slinked away.

_Truthfully, I'm not sorry. It's just a building, Oh no, who's this? He looks like an ass._

An orange haired male with a suit and an unenthused look stood in front of Ileum.

"Are you going to introduce yourself or do I have to guess which one you are?" Ileum eyed him, uninterested.

"Such an improper greeting. Very well, then, I see I will have to be the proper one in this situation." The male adjusted his jacket sleeve.

"And yet you insist on not actually introducing yourself." Ileum was starting to get annoyed by this guy.

"Very well then, allow me to introduce myself. I am Eurig Wagner, Super High School Level Composer."

Eurig Wagner, as said in his long-winded introduction, is the Super High School Level Composer. He's worked with the most well-known musical artists in the country, producing hits that topped the charts from week one. He also writes his own beautiful classical music.

_Then again, what do I know about music. It just said 'beautiful' on the website._

"So, you write music…did you make friends with the bright haired guy?" Ileum struggled to hold conversation.

"He and I don't exactly fit into the same…category."

"Why not? You both make music that only certain people care about." Ileum said bluntly. Eurig's face fell. He opened his mouth to reply, but shook his head and walked away.

_Maybe a little TOO blunt there, Ileum. Oh well, not like it wasn't true. Oh, here comes anoth-why isn't he wearing a shirt?_

Okay, he WAS technically wearing a shirt. It was just a little unbuttoned. Okay, it was completely open. He looked like one of those guys on the covers of romance novels, only, less muscular and not as suave.

"Hey, I'm Fernando Delgado. I know what you're thinking."

"Do you?" Ileum crossed her arms.

"I do."

"Then humour me, what am I thinking?"

"You're thinking…" Fernando began, but Ileum cut him off.

"Wrong, I'm thinking about shooting things."

"Oh."

Fernando Delgado, Super High School Level Underwear Model, was a teenage heartthrob that all the girls, and some of the guys, wanted. He was on billboards, in magazines; companies were after him left and right to model their products. Of course, he did, and he made them best sellers.

Ileum didn't see the appeal. Sure, he was good looking, but she didn't feel like he was drop dead attractive. She supposed it was because she never found herself to be a normal girl.

_Oh well, I guess it's best not to think about it. Alright, that's five people down. I guess I'll keep going, otherwise we'll never get anywhere._


	3. Prologue (Part 3)

Italics are the thoughts of Ileum Seong.

* * *

Ileum eyed the nine remaining students, heading for the other group of five. Might as well get the bigger group taken care of first, right? Yeah, that made sense. She nodded to herself and walked over to the group. A large man turned to face her and smiled.

_You know, this guy is the first one who actually looks like he isn't going to give me a reason to want to shoot him. At least I think that's the case._

"Hey," He grinned again, bringing a hand up to the back of his head, "Name's Gordon Davis. Nice to meet you."

Gordon Davis, Super High School Level Football player. Now this guy could play. He led his team to the most victories they had seen in a decade, even playing a whole game with a broken ankle once because they didn't have a fill in for him. He was the definition of dedication and hard work.

"Ileum, charmed, I'm sure." Ileum faked a small smile to make the guy feel better.

"So, what do you think about this place?" Gordon continued to make small talk. Ileum looked up at the other male; she forgot that people were so much taller than her.

"Damn, you're tall, huh."

"Not the tallest one here, I don't think." Gordon said, modestly but still a bit proud of his height.

"Well, you've easily got to be a foot taller than me."

"Don't worry, the short look works on you." He said as he walked away.

_Wait, what? Did he just call me short? Wait a minute, I am short. Why am I spending so much time talking to myself? This school is weird. Anyway, I have people to meet. Oh no, another shirtless man._

This man was much different. He had tattoos up and down both of his arms and on various parts of his chest and torso. He also had various facial and body piercings.

"Hey. I'm Harrison." The male greeted meekly.

Harrison Harjo, Super High School Level Tattoo Artist. Despite his crazy and "out there" appearance, he was very timid. Even with his shy demeanor, Harrison had been in countless tattoo competitions. He also opened several tattoo parlors of his own along the East Coast. All his tattoos are hand drawn by himself, and they come with a high price tag for that originality.

"So, you have a lot of tattoos." Ileum tried to coax him into talking.

"Yeah." Was the only thing he replied with.

"You do them yourself?" She didn't know if that was possible, asking wouldn't hurt, right?"

"Not really. It's pretty hard to tattoo yourself. I, uh, designed all of them, though." Harrison scratched at the back of his head, avoiding eye contact.

"Oh, I, uh, I guess that's cool too."

Harrison nodded and then tried his best to walk away without drawing much attention to himself. A girl approached Ileum with a smile.

_Talk about going green. This girl was the embodiment of green._

"Hey, I'm Margaret, Margaret Ackerly. Your aura is very welcoming." The girl's smile widened.

"My what?"

"Your aura. It's so compelling; it invites new people in and welcomes them to get to know you."

"What are you babbling about?"

Margaret Ackerly, Super High School Level Arborist, was one of the less famous students in the class roster. She uses her ability of aura reading to help study and raise trees around the world. She is usually brought in to places, like natural parks, to give advice on how to help the ecosystem of the park thrive just by planting a few more trees of a certain species.

"So, you're the tree girl." Ileum looked at Margaret. The green hair female nodded.

"That certainly is a unique nickname. What's your talent?" Margaret was curious.

"I'm the Super High School Level Hunter." Ileum replied. Immediately a look of horror washed over Margaret's face.

"You mean to tell me that you kill helpless animals for fun?" Margaret was dumbstruck.

"Hunting is a sport for most, but a lifestyle for me."

"How is murdering animals a lifestyle?"

_This conversation is beginning to get awkward. Maybe I should move on to the next person before she tries to convince me that the trees have souls._

Ileum quickly moved on to the next person. The girl turned and grinned a toothy grin. She adjusted a strap on her suit with a bright blue gloved hand. She tilted her head to the side.

_What would you call her hair color? It isn't blonde, it isn't brown… dirty blonde maybe? Wait, why am I worried about this girl's hair color at a time like this?_

"You gonna be okay? You look a little bit out of it." The girl asked her. Ileum frowned.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Right-o. My name's Mary-Anne, Mary-Anne Palmer."

Mary-Anne Palmer, Super High School Level Racecar Driver. She's famous for being the youngest driver, and the youngest female driver, to win every race her first season. She also holds a record for least number of accidents during her first racing season.

"Are you even old enough to drive?" Was the thing Ileum wondered the most.

"Um, yeah, I'm 16." Mary-Anne beamed.

"They let underage girls drive racecars?"

"Um, yeah."

"Alright then." Ileum shook her head as she walked away from the rather exuberant girl. She approached a girl with long, brown hair and a leather jacket. The girl turned around and gave her a smile and wave.

"Sup, I'm Matea Josipovic." The girl began.

"Ileum." Ileum responded.

Matea Josipovic, Super High School Level Animator, was high in demand. All the animation studios wanted her on their team from even the simplest of projects. The animation she produced was always well received, and she was always being sent fanmail praising her work. She also got letters from younger kids telling her they wanted to animate just like her when they got older, which always kept her going.

"Cute nickname." Matea said.

"What?" Ileum cocked an eyebrow.

"You know, Bambi?"

"Oh, yes."

"I'm a big fan of Disney's animation. It's a shame they cut down funding so greatly."

"Look, lady, I only got the nickname because I killed a lot of cute animals, okay?" Ileum stuffed her hands in her pockets with a huff.

"Oh… okay then." Matea pouted. She adjusted her jacket and walked away.

_Well, only four more left, I suppose. Maybe we really are getting somewhere. Ha, I'm better with people than I thought._


	4. Prologue (Part 4)

_I guess I only have four others left to meet. I'm so close to not having to meet anyone for a while, I've never felt so exhausted from just talking in my life._

Ileum's eyes were assaulted by a glob of green that made its way over to her.

"Yoooooo, Sachiko Yamauchi's the name." The girl announced proudly.

"You're very green."

"You like? I made the outfit myself."

"It's certainly…something."

"Haha, yeah thanks." Sachiko grinned. Ileum was convinced she was missing the point.

Sachiko Yamauchi, Super High School Level Seamstress. Her handiwork was incredible, her stitching was precise and her eye for detail was fantastic. Unfortunately, she didn't have an eye for design, which explains the way she dresses. Designers worldwide want her to bring their designs to life.

"So I take it you didn't design the outfit?"

"No, no, I did."

"Then I guess that explains that." Ileum shrugged. Sachiko absentmindedly walked the direction opposite from Ileum. A male approached her with a small grin.

_Wow, this guy is HAIRY. It works on him though, I guess. Not like I know anything about guys. I just know guns._

"Hello, ma'am, name's Seamus Harvey. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

_Wow, so proper. I guess just because you look like a mountain man doesn't mean you have to act like one._

"I'm Ileum." Ileum said with a little smile.

Seamus Harvey, Super High School Level Farmer. He didn't just farm, he made farming an art. The food grown on his farm was some of the freshest, tastiest and most appealing stuff you could ever consume. It was all homegrown in the United States too, so it was much cheaper to buy in a store. The taste and cost made it a hit everywhere, and soon other countries were willing to pay a premium to get some for themselves.

"Nice farmer's tan." Ileum grinned.

"Thank you, ma'am. Working in the fields has its ups and downs." Seamus smiled softly.

"Anyway.." Ileum tried to think of something to say.

"I'll just be on my way then, we gotta hurry these introductions along."

"Agreed." Ileum nodded as Seamus walked away.

_Right, two more to go. Never did I think I'd spend hours introducing myself to people. This is such a pain, this better not be an indication to how the year is going to go._

Ileum noticed another girl about her height with neck length black hair and a very timid look on her face.

_I guess this means I'm going to have to start this conversation…doesn't that sound fun._

"Hey, what's your name?" Ileum asked, not very gentle in her approach.

"Sh-Shu."

Shu Lin, Super High School Level Linguist. Even more shy than Harrison, with an appearance to match. She has been mastering foreign languages since adolescence, and works on translating great works in her free time. She has also been a translator for foreign celebrities countless times.

"So, uh, languages, huh?" Ileum asked.

"Mhmm." Shu nodded quietly.

The two girls stared at each other in silence for about five seconds when Ileum sighed and walked over to the last person she had to meet.

The male looked at her with a smirk. Ileum narrowed her eyes at him and he winked in response.

"Why are you making that face on me?" Ileum narrowed her eyes a bit more.

"Just trying to charmingly introduce myself." The male responded.

"Well it isn't working, so you should stop."

"Fine…I'm Xavier by the way."

Xavier Gafieira, Super High School Level Latin Dancer. He has competed in dancing competitions around the world, some of them having been televised. He was very light on his feet and his moves were smooth. Of course, he was known for being a bit of a player.

"If you try acting smooth with me again I'll shove a crossbow up your ass."

"That-um, no thanks." Xavier frowned.

"That's what I thought." She said as he walked away.

"Alright, everyone," Eurig tried to get the group's attention, "Now that formalities are taken care of, perhaps we should discuss the matter at hand."

"And that is?" Ileum put a hand on her hip.

"Before you arrived, Miss Ileum, we established that we all woke up alone in a classroom. You did too, did you not?" Eurig continued.

Ileum nodded. How could she forget about that classroom.

"Wait, you mean to tell me we all woke up in these classrooms?" Jewel interjected, putting a hand on her hip much like Ileum had.

"Yes, that is precisely what I was getting at." Eurig nodded.

"What I want to know," Arienne interjected, "Is how we got to the classrooms?"

The group of sixteen became silent. Ileum suddenly realized something. She still had no clue how she got to that classroom. It looked like none of the others did either.

"So basically," Ileum tried to work things out, "We all walked into the school, passed out and woke up in those classrooms."

"That appears to be the case." Eurig nodded again.

"That still doesn't answer my question of how." Arienne adjusted her glasses.

"Maybe someone carried us in?" Fernando suggested.

"Who, we appear to be the only ones here." Matea pointed out.

_She has a point,_ Ileum thought; _we're the only ones here. Who could have moved us to the classrooms if we all agreed that we passed out? Was one of the others lying?_

"What if one of us is lying?" Jewel suggested.

"I don't mean to sound rude," Seamus began, "But what would one of us gain by lying about being unconscious in a room?"

"He has a point." Gordon chimed in. Seamus was glad to see someone had his back and smiled in the other male's direction.

"Yeah, I guess you got a point." Jewel said with a sigh.

"Maybe there is someone else here, and we just don't know about them?" Sachiko called out.

There was a pause. It appeared as if no one actually bothered to think about that. It was entirely possible that someone was hiding in part of the building that none of them had been in. After all, they had only been in the classrooms they woke up in, the hallway leading here and the building itself.

"Guys," A voice broke the silence. It was Bruce, "Did anyone notice the metal panels bolted on the windows?"

_Of course, those were the first things I noticed when I woke up._

"How could we not? They were pretty obviously out of place." Mary-Anne announced.

"What do you suppose they're there for?" Bruce put a hand to his chin.

"To keep something out?" Margaret proposed.

"Or maybe," Ileum began, "To keep something in."

"Speaking of keeping things in, what about this doorway?" Gordon pointed out, grabbing everyone's attention. A large metal plate blocked the doorway, making escape impossible.

"That wasn't there when I got here." Matea pouted.

"Maybe someone is trying to keep us in." Ileum thought out loud. After her statement the group grew quiet again. It was entirely possible that someone was about to speak, but a crackling static filled the air. Suddenly, a voice came out.

"Um, excuse me? Mic test, mic test. Ahem, I hope you can all here me. This is a school wide announcement."

_This new voice,_ Ileum thought, _it sounds so upbeat, dare I say cheerful? It's still making me uneasy, but maybe it's got something worthwhile to say._

"Ah-right. This announcement is to inform all first year students to please report to the gymnasium. Please report to the gymnasium so that we may proceed with the year opening ceremony."

Ileum looked around the room at the others, who all shared the same apprehensive look. Slowly, without a word, they began to make their way in the direction of the gymnasium. Ileum sighed and started walking as well.


	5. Prologue (Part 5)

The final part of the prologue, right here.

As always, italics are Ileum's thoughts.

* * *

Ileum and the other students silently shuffled to the gymnasium. Somehow, despite being new to the school, they all managed to find their way without any trouble. Most of the students went into the gym itself without hesitation, but some hung around in the entranceway. Ileum figured they all had something on their mind.

_Maybe it won't be such a waste of time if I see what they're thinking. After all, they don't seem to be in much of a hurry, either, so it isn't much of a big deal if I hang around too._

Ileum had decided, she would waste everyone's time by talking to all these kids. The one closest to her, and the door they had just entered through, was Matea. The brunette was absentmindedly playing with a lock of her hair when Ileum caught her attention.

"Heya, Bambi." Matea smiled.

"Hi…Any reason you're, uh, just chilling in the hallway?"

"Nah, I'm just thinking."

"About?" Ileum tried to get some information out of the girl.

"The voice that wants us all to gather in the gym." Matea put a finger to her chin in thought.

"Yeah, the voice sounds like a cute little cartoon character."

"Exactly. If I were animating a kids' movie, I'd recommend they use that kind of voice for the fun-loving bear mascot."

"That statement was…oddly specific." Ileum cocked her head to the side. This girl sure was a strange one.

"I dunno, bear was the first thing that came to mind." Matea frowned a little. Ileum shrugged, deciding it was probably best to just end the conversation there. It was apparent Matea got the message, because she sighed and walked away, heading into the gym.

Ileum turned and found Gordon and Seamus talking to each other. She stopped. On one hand, it would be rude to eavesdrop or interrupt their conversation, on the other, she didn't really care.

"So, what are we talking about?" She said, butting in to the conversation anyway.

"Not much. We were just thinking about the voice that called us here." Gordon told her, Seamus nodding in agreement.

"That's what Matea was thinking about too. What do you two make of this?" Ileum was curious.

"Truth be told, I'm having a bit of a hard time believing this whole situation. 16 students put in a school with no idea how they got there. Doesn't make much sense, does it?" Gordon scratched his chin.

"Yeah, 'sides, that situation sounds like one out of a video game or somethin'." Seamus added.

_This whole situation did seem familiar. Have I heard of something like this happening before? Ah, who am I kidding, I don't have the foggiest clue._

"Well, boys, you weren't much help, but at least you make for an interesting conversation." Ileum smiled before going to bother someone else about the whole thing. She turned and looked her options. One stood out in general.

"Heeyyoooo." Sachiko called out, waving. Ileum sighed and walked over.

"You know, you remind me of a cartoon character."

"Really? Cool, I love cartoons." Sachiko grinned. She spun around and laughed, causing Ileum to back away from her.

_This girl is going to try and kill someone, I can just feel it. Then again, murder is illegal, so I doubt we'd have to worry about that._

"So, what's up with that voice, am I right? Totally not official sounding at all. Mhmm, sounds like, I dunno, a cartoon character or something." Sachiko clapped her hands together.

"Yeah, cartoon character; I haven't heard THAT ONE before, or anything." Ileum hung her head a bit. She clearly wasn't going to get anywhere with these guys. Maybe it was time to head into the gym at this point. She looked around the entrance to the gym, noticing she was now the only person outside.

_Guess everyone else had the same idea. Well then, I guess there's no point in keeping them all waiting._

She grabbed the door handle firmly. This felt oddly familiar, but she shrugged off the thought and entered the gym.

And what she saw was not what she was expecting. In front of her was just a plain old gym. Nothing out of the ordinary. A few rows of folding chairs were set up in front of the gym stage. She saw a single empty seat remaining and took it.

"Good, you're all here." The same voice from the announcement called out. Before anyone could question where it was coming from, a small black and white teddy bear leaped out from behind the podium on the stage.

"A teddy bear?" Eurig thought out loud.

"Aha, see, friendly bear mascot." Matea cheered, enthusiastic that her guess was correct.

"AAAHHHHH, IT'S SO CUTE." Sachiko exclaimed.

"Ahem, silence please. I am not cute, I am not a teddy bear, and I am most certainly NOT friendly." The bear spoke angrily.

"Oi, what are you then?" Bruce called out in frustration.

"My name is Monobear, and I am this school's headmaster."

"M-monobear. A portmanteau of mono, a-as in monochrome, and bear." Shu announced timidly.

"Like it matters what its name means, more important, how is it talking?" Bruce asked, increasingly frustrated.

"It probably just has a speaker installed, like one of those stuffed animals you find at a toy store." Arienne nodded, fixing her glasses.

"You guys are so disrespectful, talking about your headmaster like he's just a thing who isn't even in the same room. I have feelings too, you know." Monobear called out, feigning being offended.

"How can a remote controlled toy have any emotions?" Matea wondered.

"To imply that I am a simple toy, have you no compassion? Even NASA would be envious at the advanced robotics I am comprised of." Monobear put his hands on his hips.

"So you're a really advanced toy, what of it?" Bruce crossed his arms.

"Enough chit chat. We have important matters to discuss." Monobear interrupted.

"Such as?" An impatient Bruce called out.

"The opening ceremony, of course," Monobear began, "As you all are aware, you are truly masters of your craft, beacons of hope to all around you. You will still assume those roles; however, your hope will be confined to this school in order to preserve it indefinitely."

"W-what do you mean "indefinitely"?" A confused Xavier shouted.

"Oh, by "indefinitely", I mean forever. In other words, you will be spending the rest of your lives in this school of hope." Monobear beamed.

"What do you mean "forever"?" Xavier shouted again, now more shocked than confused.

"Don't you speak English, boy? You will spend the rests of your lives in the school, all of you, no ifs, ands or buts." Monobear shouted back.

"S-surely you must be joking, right? You can't honestly expect us to accept this." Matea responded.

"I do not joke about manners as serious as this. I am a very proud and honest bear. It's truly for the best. The outside world is so horrible, that's why you've all been completely cut off from it. Its nasty truths cannot touch the inside of this school." Monobear explained.

"Wait a minute," Ileum spoke up, "That actually explains a bit. At least it explains all the bolted up windows, and the big metal gate in the main entrance. They are, as I thought, meant to keep us in."

"That's right, it's an inevitable conclusion, you guys are here to stay." Monobear cheered.

"Yeah, now I'm convinced this is a joke. Like I'm supposed to believe Winnie the Pooh's fucking reject cousin kidnapped and locked us in a school for life." Matea gritted her teeth and stood up angrily.

"My dear girl, I am being dead serious. Do you all not remember agreeing to attend this school of your own free will? Besides, it's too soon to be changing your mind, isn't it?" Monobear announced. There was a suffocating silence that followed, before Monobear's head perked up again.

"I didn't want to tell you this so soon…but there is ONE way you can get out." Monobear began.

"And what, pray tell, might that be?" Eurig questioned.

"Why, it's a simple thing I like to call "Graduation". You see, living in a school forever requires rules to be set up to keep order. You break a rule; you ruin the order of the school. However, breaking a certain rule grants you the ability to leave. That, is "Graduation"."

"And what is the rule has to be broken?" Eurig continued his questioning.

"Oh, that's simple. All you have to do…is kill one of the other students."

_Kill? He couldn't be serious. He wants us to kill each other?!_

"That's right; the method doesn't matter, as long as someone is murdered."

Xavier opened his mouth to speak, but Monobear cut him off.

"Murder is murder, dancer boy, there's nothing to explain. You either choose to murder someone in a desperate attempt to cling to the outside world, or you accept your fate, simple as that. Now are there any questions?"

Several hands shot up, people were on the edges of their seats.

"Good, now let me pass something out to you all to make your attendance official." Monobear began to pass out small electronics to each of the students.

"This is your Electronic Student Identification, or ElectroID for short. Obviously each one is specific to its owner, and is your keycard for the public rooms. More importantly, it is waterproof, shock proof, mostly scratch proof, and crush resistant up to 10 tons. Also, it contains a full set of rules. The rules are the most important aspect, because, without rules, we would have nothing but chaos. Do make sure you check out those rules at your earliest convenience. Naturally, if you choose to break a rule, a punishment is in your future. Well, that concludes the opening ceremony, feel free to enjoy the rest of your day."

Leaving many questions unanswered, Monobear vanished, seemingly into thin air.

_Killing, murder, could this really be happening? This whole situation doesn't seem real. I don't buy it; we wouldn't resort to killing, right. Looking at the others, they seem to be as confused as I am._

"There's no way, right?" Ileum spoke out loud. Everyone turned to look at her, but no one was sure what to say.

"_Only a student who kills another will be allowed to leave". The phrase rang through my head, it was a joke, right? It had to be._


	6. Chapter 1 (ab)normal days (Part 1)

So this is officially the start of chapter one. As always, italics are Ileum's thoughts, and the bold is the school rules.

* * *

The air in the gym was thick, the word 'murder' still hung around heavily. It seemed like time had frozen, until a female voice spoke.

"So what do we do now?" Arienne asked, her question not directed at anyone in particular.

"Obvious. We gotta look for a way out." Bruce stood up angrily.

"First we find the puppet master behind that bear and introduce him to the business end of a knife." Sachiko yelled out.

"Maybe we should be a little bit more reasonable than that?" Arienne suggested.

"M-maybe we should look at the rules Monobear mentioned?" Shu peeped out.

_That did sound like a good idea. After all, there was no point in suffering a needless punishment when a bit of reading could do the trick._

Ileum nodded and switched on her ElectroID. After a brief loading screen, she accessed the rules section of the device.

**1. The students will live a communal lifestyle with no time limit inside the school walls.  
2. The time between 10pm and 7am is called "Night Time". During Night Time there are places that are forbidden to enter, so please take care.  
3. Sleeping is only permitted in the personal rooms prepared for you in the dormitory area. Anyone intentionally falling asleep elsewhere will be punished.  
4. You may investigate the school as you please. There are no special restrictions on your actions.  
5. No violence is permitted against the school's headmaster, Monobear. Destruction of the surveillance cameras is forbidden.  
6. A "culprit" who kills a fellow student will graduate the school. However, they must not let any other student know they are the culprit.  
7. Additional rules may be added by the school at any time.**

Ileum finished reading the last rule and looked around, noticing the others were beginning to wrap up their readings too. The expressions on the students' faces were mixed, ranging for disbelief to anger.

"These rules are bullshit." Bruce let out a groan.

"They don't seem that unreasonable. In fact, compared to the whole "locked in a school" thing, they seem pretty fair." Arienne sighed, adjusting her glasses.

_There's something here that strikes me as weird._

"Hey, guys," Ileum tried to get their attention, "Doesn't rule 6 sound strange to you?"

"They all sound strange to me." Bruce complained.

"No, look at the wording." Ileum elaborated.

"You mean the last part, about not letting any other student know they're the culprit." Seamus jumped in.

"Yeah, that part. What's up with that?" Ileum rubbed her temples. She wasn't feeling this whole situation.

"It probably just means "kill without getting caught"." Gordon mused.

"I…guess." Ileum sighed. This whole situation was fishy to her. She pocketed her ElectroID and looked around.

"Well, everyone, perhaps we should look around?" Eurig suggested.

"Yeah, there's a whole school out there that we haven't seen. Everyone, investigate out your leisure, we'll regroup in the morning and share out findings." Gordon called out. Slowly, the group began to disperse. Ileum hung back, waiting for the crowd to thin out. She was about to leave when she heard a voice call out to her. She turned around and was face to face with Shu.

"What's up?" Ileum stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"W-well," Shu spoke softly, "I was w-wondering, ma-maybe you could inv-investigate with me?"

Ileum tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked over at Shu. Shu make a small surprised noise at the eye contact and tried to hide her face.

"Yeah, sure, why the hell not." Ileum shrugged, motioning for Shu to follow her. The two girls left the gym before Shu tapped Ileum on the shoulder. Ileum turned to face the other, curious.

"I-I just noticed th-that the ElectroID has a map of the school." Shu showed the other girl.

Ileum checked her own ID, and, indeed, there was a map. She made a mental note to reference it and not get lost, and pocketed the device again. She looked at Shu, who nodded, and the two exited to the hallway. The two chose to investigate the dorm area. Other than the actual dorm rooms, they found a laundry room, a trash room, several bathrooms and the entrance to the cafeteria. The two were about to call it a night when Shu got Ileum's attention. Ileum approached the other girl, who was standing in front of a set of metal shutters.

"I wonder why the staircase is blocked off." Ileum put a hand on her hip.

"Th-there doesn't seem t-to be a way to open the shutters." Shu informed her.

"Well, I guess it can't be THAT important then, huh?" Ileum shrugged her shoulders and turned around. Shu nodded and followed her. They approached the rows of doors and checked their maps. Ileum turned right away.

"Looks like I found my room." She said, grabbing onto the key in the handle.

"M-mine is right at the end of the hall."

"I'll hang out here until you go in, if you want."

Shu nodded, "Th-thank you."

Ileum waited until the other girl had disappeared into her room before entering her own. She looked around, taking in the room.

_Well, it LOOKS like a normal room. Except for the camera and the steel plates, I'd say it's actually kinda cozy. That bed looks inviting._

Ileum slowly approached the bed. She kicked her shoes off and flopped onto the mattress.

"Uh, excuse me; this is a school wide announcement. It is now 10pm. Night time is now in effect. The cafeteria will be locked, and the water will be shut off. In any case, good night, and pleasant dreams." Monobear's voice poured out of the intercom.

_Well, I guess I might as well give in to my desire to sleep._

_The next thing I know, my room is filled with Monobear's voice._

"Good morning, you bastards. It's 7am, time to get up. Let's all strive to do our best today."

_Right, I have to get up. I wonder if anyone else found anything interesting._

Ileum rose up out of bed slowly. She smoothed out her clothes and hastily put her shoes on before exiting into the hallway. She began to make her way to the cafeteria, but was stopped by Seamus.

"Oh, hey." Ileum greeted, or, did her best to greet. Seamus returned her greeting with a smile.

"Mornin', sleep well?" Seamus asked.

"Actually, yeah, I did. Considering our situation, I slept pretty well." Ileum nodded.

Seamus motioned towards the cafeteria and Ileum nodded. The two walked there in silence. Upon arrival, Ileum noticed that there were only a few others there with them.

_That's when I noticed there were three groups of people in our class. There were the people like me, Seamus, Arienne, Harrison and Eurig, who were here promptly. Then there were the people who showed up a few minutes late, much like a normal high school student would. That group included Shu, Sachiko, Margaret, Mary-Anne and Xavier. Finally, there were the stragglers, which were Matea, Gordon, Fernando, Bruce, Jewel and Enzo. After everyone had taken a seat, Arienne called our attention. Something about that girl made a role of authority seem perfect…and dangerous._

"Right, now that we've all arrived, let us discuss what we found around the school." Arienne began.

"Shu and I looked around the dorm area. Nothing too out of the ordinary, just a laundry room and a trash room." Ileum spoke.

"W-we also found some s-stairs, but, th-they were blocked off by some metal sh-shutters." Shu added.

"Why were the stairs blocked off?" Bruce called out.

"We don't know, we couldn't look BECAUSE they were blocked off." Ileum sighed.

"Oh. Y-yeah, that makes sense." Bruce said, clearly embarrassed.

"What else." Arienne prompted.

"Seamus and I found a room off the side of the gym." Gordon threw out.

"Really? What was it?" Arienne questioned.

"It led to a couple of other rooms, and a sign that said 'Pool', but the other rooms were blocked off." Seamus continued.

"Maybe they were changing rooms?" Matea suggested.

"I guess that would be the most reasonable assumption. Anyone else have anything worth sharing?" Arienne asked with a small nod.

"I found an infirmary, but the doors to it were blocked off too." Sachiko pouted.

"I, um, I came across and A/V room, but there was not much of interest in there." Harrison stated.

"As for myself, Eurig and Margaret, we found a small room with a coin machine. We also rechecked some of the classrooms and found nothing of use." Arienne added her own findings.

"May I suggest something?" Eurig spoke. The entire group turned to look at him.

"Rule number 2, the one referencing Night Time. Perhaps, for added peace of mind, we make a mutual agreement saying we will refrain from venturing outside our rooms during night time. Of course, compliance is optional, but cooperation is recommended, lest you draw suspicion on yourself in the event of a murder." Eurig spoke. Several of the students looked a bit lost, but everyone decided that his proposal seemed reasonable enough to agree to.

_After that, we all agreed to use the day as we saw fit. I decided it would be best to try and make some friends, something that, for me, was pretty out of character._

Ileum stepped out of the cafeteria and exited the dorm building. She made her way into the school's main entrance, when she saw Enzo looking up at the ceiling, talking to himself. Ileum cocked a confused eyebrow and approached him hesitantly.

"You, uh, you talking to yourself over here?" She asked.

"Hmm? Me? No, I am simply admiring the fine curvature of the archway and the craftsmanship of the building's structure." Enzo replied.

"What?"

"I-I'm looking at the building and seeing how nice it looks." Enzo dumbed it down for her.

"Oh. Why?" Ileum was confused as hell now.

"Because, as an architect, I am always looking for inspiration." Enzo put a hand on his hip and sighed. Ileum looked back at him with a blank expression.

_Suddenly, I'm regretting my decision to make friends. Do I really hang out with him? _

With a sigh, Ileum decides to hang out with Enzo.

_I spend the next hour, which felt like an eternity, discussing the application of the flying buttress with Enzo. I feel like I could build my own house now...okay, maybe not. _

Ileum and Enzo part ways, and Ileum continues, albeit hesitantly, to go make friends with the other students. As she is making her way in the direction of the gym, she crosses paths with Jewel.

"Hey gurl, how you doin'?" Jewel greets, much friendlier than yesterday.

"I'm good, uh, gurl? What are you up to?"

"I was just goin' to check out the doors connected to the gym, you down?"

_I may not be up on the hip, cool kid lingo, but I get that she wants me to come look at the doors Gordon and Seamus mentioned._

Ileum nods, and the two girls make their way to the gym.

_On our way to the gym, Jewel gave me unsolicited tips on how to make my hair more vibrant and less two-dimensional, whatever that means. Regardless, I thank her. She tells me to drop by her room sometime and she'll recommend me a nice product to help my hair dry out less frequently._

The two girls entered the gym and made their way over to the side door perpendicular to the gym's main entrance. After a walk down a small corridor, and another door way, the two were greeted with a pair of blocked off doors. The door on the left had a plaque that said 'Female', and the right said 'Male'. Above both doors, a large neon sign that read 'POOL' flickered softly.

"Maybe the pool isn't filled?" Ileum suggested.

"Yo' guess is as good as mine, gurl. Point it, those are changin' rooms. Maybe Monobear is just settin' things up?" Jewel pondered.

"Who knows, with that crazy bear he could be filling the water with piranha or something."

"Don't go givin' him ideas, gurl." Jewel chuckled.

_We both share another laugh before returning to the main school building. Checking the time, I see it is 9:45pm. Hard to believe time goes by so quickly when you've been imprisoned indefinitely. I guess I'll head back to my room then._

"Uh, excuse me; this is a school wide announcement. It is now 10pm. Night time is now in effect. The cafeteria will be locked, and the water will be shut off. In any case, good night, and pleasant dreams." Monobear's voice poured out of the intercom.

_I close the door to my room just as the announcement wraps up. That's one more day down, and an eternity to go. My bed beckons to me, and I give in to its luring call._


	7. Chapter 1 (Ab)normal Days (Part 2)

"Uh, excuse me; the following announcement is a special, school wide announcement. Upon completion of breakfast, please report to the gymnasium. Well then, let's all strive to do our best today."

_Somehow I had completely forgotten about Monobear's little morning announcements every day. And he wants us to meet in the gym after breakfast? I'm sure this'll be good._

Ileum dragged herself out of bed, something she felt she'd be doing for a while now. She walked over to the chair, grabbed her hunting vest and slipped it on. There was a knock on the door, and she hastily went to answer it.

"Mornin'." Seamus greeted with a smile.

"Wow, two days in a row? People are gonna start talking." Ileum joked. She then noticed Gordon leaning against the wall opposite her door.

"Morning." He greeted, albeit groggily.

"Whoa, how'd you get him up so early?" Ileum asked, remembering that Gordon was one of the last ones awake yesterday.

"Magic." Seamus smiled.

"Bribery." Gordon groaned.

_These two are a strange pair…Certainly not the first two I expected to become friends. Oh well, no sense thinking about this when there is food waiting._

The trio made their way to the cafeteria, noticing a bit more chatter upon entering.

"Probably has somethin' to do with Monobear's announcement this morning." Seamus reasoned.

"I'm just glad he's letting us eat first." Matea butted in, grinning.

Once everyone was seated, Arienne stood up.

"Everyone, I would like to call your attention to this morning's announcement." She spoke.

"About meeting in the gym?" Matea asked.

"Yes," Arienne nodded, "I wanted to get everyone's opinion on the matter."

"Maybe he's finally ready to give up the charade?" Eurig suggested.

"Yeah, the joke's getting old." Bruce added.

"You all still insist that this is a joke?" Monobear spoke, popping up out of nowhere and landing in the middle of the table.

"Well, yeah, obviously." Bruce put down his fork to cross him arms, rolling his eyes as he did.

"Upupupu…..AHAHAHA. You know, you kids have strange senses of humor." Monobear mused.

"What do you mean?" Arienne adjusted her glasses.

"Well, I was gonna wait a surprise you all, but I think it's urgent. Everyone please report to the gym immediately."

"Can't we at least finish breakfast first?" Matea whined.

"Hmmm," Monobear crossed his arms, "Fine, but only because I'm feeling VERY generous today. Just remember, everyone report to the gym when you've finished eating."

_I don't know if it was Monobear's presence, or the anticipation of what was waiting in the gym, but for some reason, I felt my appetite completely disappear. Looking around, I could see a few people who probably felt the way I did, but most didn't seem worried._

"Hey, I'm sure it'll be fine. And, at least we get to eat now." Matea gave a reassuring grin.

The rest of breakfast went by interrupted. When everyone was finished, the group made their way toward the gym. With a bit of hesitation, Ileum opened the doors and entered, everyone else following after her.

"So glad you could all make it." Monobear greeted.

"Yeah, we're here, now what's the big hurry?" Bruce crossed his arms again.

"You know, if you keep putting your arms like that, they'll get stuck." Monobear pointed out.

"Uh, I believe that's "If you keep making that face, it'll get stuck like that"." Mary-Anne corrected.

"It doesn't matter," Monobear shouted angrily, "What does matter is that no one has died yet."

"Of course no one has died yet. You're the only one serious about this killing thing." Bruce shouted in reply.

"My, my, so rebellious. Anyway, of course, as part of such a relaxed generation, I can't expect you to kill on command." Monobear put a paw to his chin.

"So you're going to drop this act and let us all go?" Arienne questioned.

"No, it means I need to add the last piece of the puzzle. You all need a motive." Monobear grinned.

"What could you possibly say to make us want to kill each other?" Matea asked angrily.

"I'm so glad you asked. You know that yummy food you all just had for breakfast?" Monobear grinned more.

_Immediately I felt sick. What purpose could he have for bringing up food? Does-does he intend to starve us?_

"Well, I may or may not have spilled some deadly poisons in while I was cooking this morning. Of course I DO have an antidote, buuuuuuut, the only way you guys can get some is if someone gets murdered." Monobear cackled.

_I could feel the room go silent. Poison? He had to be fucking with us, he HAD to be. Besides, we would have known, right?_

"I know what you're thinking, but this was my special poison. It's odorless, tasteless, and colorless, much like water. And, it has no symptoms. It just sits in your body for a couple days and then BOOM, you die." Monobear howled.

"Do you really expect me to believe that bullshit?" The usually quiet Harrison roared in response. Everyone was taken aback by his outburst, but no one could really argue with it.

"Well, of course not. You're all authority testing adolescents. But, if you choose to ignore me, then you will all feel the consequences." Monobear chuckled, turning from the group. Someone went to say something, but Monobear had already vanished.

_That familiar tension filled the gym again like it had done days ago, as everyone began to wonder the validity of Monobear's claim. Was there really a poison slowly killing them? Or, was it simply a ruse by the bear to get someone to kill?_

"Come on, guys, are we really gonna believe a word that that guy says?" Gordon called out, trying to raise everyone's spirits.

"Y-yeah, Gordon is right. I mean, I'm not about to get bossed around by a bear. I bet he can't even cook." Matea nodded.

_Suddenly I could feel the tension dissolve. Everyone began to leave the gym, talking about what they should do today. Hmm, what about me? I guess, I guess I could go hang out with someone._

Ileum went to leave the gym when a hand clapped onto her shoulder. She turned and was face to face with a grinning Sachiko.

_Something about this girl makes me feel uneasy. I don't know if it's the constantly random and spontaneous demeanor, or the fact that her color scheme is primarily green, but I just couldn't relax around her. _

"Hey, friend, what's goin' on, huh?" Sachiko giggled.

"N-not much, just going to find something to do." Ileum responded nervously.

"Ha-hey, that's cool, let's go find something to do together then." Sachiko suggested.

"I…uh…" Ileum hesitated.

_Do I dare? Do I dare? I…I dare._

Ileum nodded, defeatedly, and let Sachiko drag her off in the direction of the school's main building.

_I spend an hour listening to Sachiko ramble. She seems optimistic, so at least the air between us seems a bit more friendly than some of the people in this school. She talks about what it's like working with world renowned fashion designers, and how she wished she did more than just assemble the pieces, and I was surprised that she actually thinks instead of drooling out keysmashs every time her mouth opens. I guess it's true you can't judge a book by its cover._

"So, hunting, huh?" Sachiko asked.

"Yeah. It started when I was young and used to throw rocks at birds from the back deck of our house. My dad noticed I had a killer aim and started taking me hunting with him. My mom was pissed that he let me handle huge and deadly rifles at such a young age, but when I started beating grown men in competitions without breaking a sweat, she, too, realized I had talent and was proud that I could embrace it." Ileum explained.

"So, as a child, you killed cute animals instead of wanting to hug them? Radical." Sachiko cackled.

_Hmm, not the reaction I'm used to. Maybe I'll go…hang out with someone else now. Sachiko must have sensed my intentions, because she stood up, with a grin, and practically spun out of the room. _

Ileum, after watching that unique display, slipped into the hall and made her way toward the cafeteria.

_Might as well have some food. If the food IS poisoned, at least I won't starve to death before it kills me._

Apparently, she wasn't the only one who felt that way, because, just as she was about to start eating, someone sat across from her.

"Hello." The male voice greeted. Ileum looked up to see Fernando across from her.

"Oh, hey." Ileum returned the greeting a bit less enthusiastically.

_Do I hang out with the underwear model? Sure, why the hell not._

Ileum decided some mealtime conversation might do her some good.

_I spent my time talking to Fernando. As it turns out, despite being a model, he isn't a conceited airhead. Maybe that only applies to girls._

"At least if the food is poisoned, we won't starve to death before it kills us." Fernando chuckled.

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Ileum replied. The two finished eating and parted ways. Ileum returned to her room and sat down on her bed. She was about to relax when there was a knock on her door. She groaned and got up, opening the door in a less than friendly manner.

"What?" She gritted her teeth.

"Wow, that's not a polite way to greet someone." Gordon frowned.

"What do you want?" Ileum sighed.

"I'm just taking it upon myself to make sure everyone is feeling okay. It's not good to go to bed angry." Gordon grinned.

"Wow, what a gentleman." Ileum rolled her eyes.

"H-hey, I'm doing it for everyone." Gordon faked offense.

"Yeah, yeah, I appreciate your concern. But I assure you, I'm fine."

"Good to hear. Well then, I bid you good night." Gordon replied.

"Yeah, night." Ileum said before closing the door. She made sure to lock it, and then she collapsed onto her bed.

"Uh, excuse me; this is a school wide announcement. It is now 10pm. Night time is now in effect. The cafeteria will be locked, and the water will be shut off. In any case, good night, and pleasant dreams." Monobear's voice poured out of the intercom.

_Now that Monobear's announcement has made it official, I feel myself drifting off to sleep. _

"Good morning, you bastards. It's 7am, time to get up. Let's all strive to do our best today."

_And there it is. Somehow, I've gotten used to rising and falling with that bear's sing-song voice. Maybe I should do some laundry today. _

Ileum slipped out of her room and into the hallway. She noticed it was unusually quiet, and made her way over to the cafeteria. She watched the crowd roll in the usual way, but something caught her attention.

"Guys," She called out to everyone, "Where's Xavier?"

Suddenly a murmur broke out in the cafeteria. Ileum felt a small tugging in the back of her mind. The sounds in the cafeteria began to mash into one buzzing noise, and she felt her vision blur. Something shook her, snapping her back to reality.

"Ileum, can you go check to see where Xavier is?" A male voice asked her. She nodded absently and stood up, walking out of the cafeteria.

_I'm sure he just overslept. Teenagers do that sometimes, right? Maybe he's taking a shower, that's always a possibility. I grabbed the door handle hesitantly, a thousand different scenarios racing through my mind. And sure enough, there he was. Propped up on the bed, pillow and sheeted stained with blood, the horrible smell of iron filling the air._

Xavier Gafieira, Super High School Level Latin Dancer, was dead.


	8. Chapter 1 Abnormal Days

First investigation, everyone. The evidence, if it isn't obvious, will be in **bold**.

* * *

_I didn't even register my feet moving, I just knew that, before I actually realized what had happened, I was standing in the middle of the cafeteria wheezing._

"Ileum, calm down. What did you see?" Was the first thing she heard. She couldn't make out the speaker, just the words.

"D-dead. Xavier is- Xavier is dead." Ileum managed to gasp out. Everyone went wide-eyed at her comment.

"Y-you're kidding, right?" Bruce spoke. She wasn't positive it was him, but the hair was a pretty good indication. All Ileum could do was nod.

_This is too much. Sure, I kill animals for fun, but humans? No, killing humans as a sport was cruel. Slowly I watch the cafeteria empty out, probably because everyone wanted to confirm my statement for themselves. I felt a pair of arms lift me and place me in a chair._

Suddenly, the intercom crackles to life. "Everyone, please be so kind as to report to the gymnasium at this time."

Ileum dismissed the arm that offered her assistance, standing and making her way to the gym. She was the first one there, and everyone else arrived shortly after.

"Ah, there you all are. You sure make me proud, not even a day after my motive and a body shows up." Monobear wiped a tear.

"So you called us here to rub it in?" Mary-Anne questioned.

"Ah, no. I called you here to explain a supplementary rule that I so carelessly forgot to elaborate on." Monobear hopped off the stage.

"You don't mean the latter part of rule 6, do you?" Eurig questioned.

"Precisely. See, here at New England Hope Academy, we have certain rules we must abide by. When one of your miscreants breaks a rule, and murders one of your fellow students, they must survive a class trial." Monobear explained.

"Class trial? What do you mean?" Arienne spoke.

"Allow me to explain. When a murder is committed, and a body discovered, a brief period will be allowed for investigation. A class trial will be held shortly after. As a class, you must debate and determine who the culprit is, ending with a vote. If the vote chooses the correct culprit, they will be executed. However, if the vote is incorrect, all BUT the culprit will be executed, and the culprit will be allowed to leave the school." Monobear paced in front of the students.

"So we must now be forced to investigate the dead body of a fellow student?" Eurig sighed.

"Precisely." Monobear cackled before disappearing.

"A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! After a free period of investigation we shall begin the School Trial!" Monobear's voice spoke from the intercom.

_So this is it, the first murder. So this really isn't a joke. Guess I better…investigate the scene. How morbid._

Before anyone had a chance to leave, Arienne called for their attention.

"It is evident that an investigation must take place. However, before we do that, perhaps we should assign someone to guard the crime scene." She suggested. Gordon and Jewel were both quick to volunteer, and that meant the investigation was quickly under way.

Ileum inhaled deeply. She was ready, she could do this. It was just like checking a kill during a big game hunt, except she didn't shoot this one with a rifle, and it was a dead classmate, not an animal killed in the wilderness.

_Right, just gotta focus on the investigation._

Ileum stepped into Xavier's room, Gordon and Jewel greeting her with nervous smiles. Ileum was about to begin when Monobear appeared.

"I almost forgot one CRUCIAL thing," He said with a laugh, handing her a document, "This is a Monobear File. It includes crucial things about the state of the body. I can't specify, it varies by case, so make sure you take a look."

Ileum opened the Monobear file and began to read.

Monobear File #1:

-Victim: Xavier Gafieira, Super High School Level Latin Dancer

-Location of body: Xavier Gafieira's dormitory room

-Time of death: 6:30 AM

-Cause of death: Unknown

**Evidence Acquired-Monobear File #1**

With that, Monobear disappeared. As soon as he was gone, Ileum went straight for the body. The first thing she noticed was the shine of metal in Xavier's right hand. She looked closer and noticed it was a razor blade. The hand itself was free of cuts, but was covered in blood.

**Evidence Acquired-Razor Blade **

**Evidence Acquired-Blood Covered Hand**

Ileum then shifted her attention to the left arm. She observed it carefully, noting the various, clean cuts along the wrist.

**Evidence Acquired-Cuts on Wrist**

_All of the blood is around this arm. He must have bled to death. The more I look at the scene, the more I think this whole situation looks like suicide. Why would someone be so desperate to get out that they ended their own life?_

**Evidence Acquired-Cause of Death**

Ileum sighed; almost convinced it was a suicide. Even if that were the case, something didn't feel right. She looked around the room; sure she was missing…something.

_Something doesn't feel…right. I have time; maybe I'll look around the room and see if anything sticks out. Maybe Gordon and Jewel saw something. _

"Hey, have either of you two noticed anything out of the ordinary?" Ileum asked. They both frowned in response.

"Take that as a "No", then." Ileum sighed. Looks like she was doing this the hard way. She cracked her knuckles and began searching. That's when she noticed a few blood stained, crumpled pieces of paper on the ground. She picked them up individually and attempted to read them.

"These are all in Spanish." Ileum said with a groan. It was true, each of the notes was written in Spanish, and she couldn't read any of them. Oh well, better remember them anyway.

**Evidence Acquired-Bloody Notes Written in Spanish**

"Well these notes are useless at this point." Ileum decided to disregard them and keep looking. It was then that she noticed a book on the floor. She picked it up and turned to the others.

"You two didn't notice this?"

"What is it?" Gordon questioned.

"Fool, it's obviously a book." Jewel rolled her eyes.

"Well I can see that," Gordon pouted, "But what kind of book is it?"

"It's a…language book?" Ileum eyed the book, confused. Xavier didn't seem like the type to study languages. Maybe it's important since it's so out of place.

**Evidence Acquired-Language Book**

Ileum placed the book at the table and noticed that the bathroom door was open a crack. She shrugged and figured it was at least worth a peek inside. She opened the door enough to stick her head inside. The only thing she noticed was a wrapper from a disposable razor and the plastic handle inside the garbage can under the sink.

**Evidence Acquired-Razor Wrapper and Handle**

"Alright, everyone. I'm bored of waiting, let's get this trial underway. Everyone please gather at the red door on the first floor." Monobear called out over the intercom.

Ileum let out a sigh. She had no clue if she could be able to solve this; she only hoped that everyone else had the missing pieces of the puzzle. She made her way to the red door, the others slowly joining her. They stood in front of the large red door, hesitation obvious.

"Come on guys, we can do this." Gordon smiled.

"What makes you so sure? Does anyone even have a culprit in mind?" Matea questioned.

"W-well, no, but between all of us we have to have someone." Gordon frowned.

"Everyone, please head into the elevator in front of you. It will bring you to the courtroom so that the trial can begin.

_I watched as we all piled into the elevator. The movement caused my stomach to do leaps, and looking around, I could see discomfort in everyone else as well. This was zero hour, and none of us were ready for the clock to finish ticking._


	9. Chapter 1 Trial

Alright friends, time for the first trial.

Italics are Ileum's thoughts

Bolded terms are points to argue/agree with

Bolded and Italic terms are the evidence collected in the investigation.

* * *

The entire group stood still as the elevator descended on its journey. When it finally lurched to a stop, the doors opened with a hiss and the teens stepped out into the courtroom that was now in front of them.

"It's about time you guys showed up, the wait was unBEARable." Monobear cackled. Monobear's play on words was poorly received, and everyone remained blank as they took their places behind 15 of the available podiums.

"Um, isn't that picture a little in poor taste?" Matea questioned.

"Of course not, just because someone is dead does not mean they should be left out. Friendship transcends death." Monobear grinned.

_Really? First bear puns, and now this? I wish we could put whoever is behind that stupid bear on trial and execute him._

**CLASS TRIAL: IN SESSION**

"Anyway, I can see you guys are all anxious, so let me just go over the trial really quick. The votes of you all determines the trial's outcome. Find out the **true culprit**, and they, and they alone, will be executed. However, choose wrong, and **everyone but the culprit** gets punished instead, leaving the culprit to escape by graduating." Monobear explained.

"Did one of us really do it?" Ileum frowned.

"You better believe it," Monobear nodded, "Now, let's do a brief recap and get the party started."

_Right, here we go then. If something isn't right, I have to let everyone know. Let's hope this goes off without a hitch._

Bruce: Aight, let's get down to it then. The victim was Xavier Gafieira.

Arienne: He wasn't present for breakfast this morning.

Ileum: And you guys sent me to go check on him. I did…

Arienne: And you found him, dead in his room.

Bruce: Other than that, we **don't know much.**

Ileum: Hang on, we do know something.

_**-Evidence: Monobear File #1**_

Ileum: While not TOO helpful, it tells us his time of death.

Harrison: S-so what time did he die?

Jewel: Fool, didn't you read the file?

Harrison: I, uh, skimmed?

Ileum: According to the file, his time of death was 6:30AM.

Harrison: So he died during night time?

Eurig: That does appear to be the case.

Jewel: How you expect us to believe that? We all agreed to stay in our rooms during night time.

Arienne: It's entirely possible that someone broke out verbal agreement. After all, there was nothing binding any of us to it but our word.

_Something feels wrong about this whole thing. I saw the crime scene, and…_

Ileum: Guys, what if he WASN'T murdered?

Gordon: You're not suggesting-?

Ileum: Suicide? Yeah.

_**-Evidence: Bloody Notes Written in Spanish**_

Ileum: I found these notes in the victim's room. I don't know Spanish, but maybe Shu could translate.

Shu: M-me?

Ileum: You are the Super High School Level Linguist.

Shu: R-right. Let me see. There are three notes here.

_**Note 1: Lo hice por ustedes  
Note 2: No podía permitir que todos mueren  
Note 3:**_ _**Soy un cobarde**_

Shu: In order, the notes mean: "I did it for you guys", "I couldn't let you all die" and "I am a coward" respectively.

Matea: Those DO sound like pieces of a suicide note.

Gordon: But why would he?

Ileum: The poison Monobear said he put in our food. Remember, he said we wouldn't get an antidote until someone died.

Mary-Anne: But didn't Monobear want someone to murder?

Monobear: Eh, I'm very open to dead bodies. Besides, isn't suicide still taking a valuable life?

Bruce: Well, the Monobear File doesn't have what killed him on there.

_**-Evidence: Cause of Death**_

Ileum: Isn't it obvious, he bled to death. I mean, just think about the scene. His bed was covered in his blood.

Bruce: So what, he just bled to death? Where did the blood **come from**?

_**-Evidence: Cuts on Wrist**_

Ileum: He bled from his wrist. The arteries in your wrists are pretty vital, if you cut in the right spot or in enough spots you'll bleed to death pretty easily.

Bruce: So the dude cut his wrists and bled to death.

Ileum: It appears that is the case.

Sachiko: If that iiiiiisssss the case, then we know the cause of death for sure?

Monobear: You're all absolutely correct, Xavier bled to death.

Seamus: Are we sure this is a suicide?

Arienne: All the evidence would point to that. I do have one more question. What did he use to make these cuts?

_**-Evidence: Razor Blade**_

Ileum: I found a razor blade in his hand. It was the only sharp object near him, and it was covered in blood, it must be what he used.

Matea: Where'd he get the razor from?

_**-Evidence: Razor Wrapper and Handle**_

Ileum: This was in the garbage can in his bathroom. I believe everyone got one?

Monobear: That is correct. Being your kind and charitable headmaster, I included some items in your rooms to help you maintain appearances. Blue for boys, and pink for girls.

Matea: Wow, color coded based on gender, how misogynistic.

Bruce: So I guess that's in then.

Eurig: How do we vote for someone who committed suicide?

Monobear: Just vote for him like you normally would.

Arienne: Are you all in agreement then?

_I know this is going to sound odd, considering I was the one who suggested suicide, but, somehow I don't think our verdict is correct._

Ileum: I know this is gonna sound weird, but, I don't think he killed himself.

Jewel: You was the one who suggested it.

Ileum: I know, but don't we want to be sure, since we're about to gamble with our lives?

Jewel: Y-yeah, you got a point.

Bruce: Are we really gonna change our minds?

Ileum: Hear me out, okay?

Gordon: Yeah, Ileum, what do you have to say?

Ileum: Well, first of all, take a look at this.

_**-Evidence: Blood Covered Hand**_

Fernando: What about it? This is clearly the hand he held the razor in to cut his wrist, right?

Ileum: Exactly, that's what's weird about it.

Fernando: I don't follow.

Ileum: Think back to breakfast. What hand did Xavier use to eat?

Fernando: His right one?

Ileum: Are you sure?

Sachiko: Nuh-uh, he was left handed. I know that for a fact.

Ileum: Then why would he use his right hand to cut his wrist. If he really wanted deep cuts, wouldn't he use his dominant hand?

Bruce: Does this mean the cuts on his wrist didn't kill him?

Ileum: I'm actually glad you brought those up. What's weird about them?

Bruce: They didn't kill him?

Ileum: No, without a doubt, he bled to death from those cuts. What's weird is that the cuts are very clean. If you were to cut yourself, the pain would cause some hesitation and make the cuts uneven.

Eurig: So you're suggesting that he was killed?

Ileum: I'm suggesting he was murdered, and then the scene was set up so it looks like a suicide.

Bruce: But now we're back to square one. Who did it?

Ileum: I have an idea.

_**-Evidence: Language Book**_

Ileum: I found this book discarded on the floor of Xavier's room. Does Xavier look like a reader to you?

Matea: Not really, no.

Seamus: Then who's the book belong to?

Gordon: Maybe there's a name inside the book?

_Could it be that obvious? I pull out the book and flip open the front cover._

Ileum: It says **"Property of Shu Lin"**. Shu, is this yours?

Shu: Y-yes. I've been looking for it.

Ileum: Were you looking for it because you lost it? Or, were you looking for it because you misplaced it while you were murdering Xavier?

Shu: I-it just disappeared. I put my name in it just in case this ever happened.

Ileum: So this IS your handwriting.

Shu: Mhmm.

Ileum: Then allow me to point out that the notes are written in the exact same handwriting.

Eurig: Miss Shu is the only one here who is able to speak and write Spanish.

Seamus: Then I reckon she planted the notes to mislead us.

Shu: N-NO!

Margaret: How can you expect us to believe this? Shu's aura is pure and full of good intentions.

Ileum: Let me set up the scene. Xavier was the last one to go back to his room, which is directly across from Shu's. Being so small, she was able to sneak out and prop his door open with the book without him noticing. She sneaks in once he's asleep, takes the blade out of the razor, slits his wrist and then leaves.

Bruce: What about the bloody shirt?

Jewel: I was finna do some laundry, earlier and I found a single, pink dress shirt in one of the driers in the laundry room.

Arienne: And there were a few pink threads on Xavier's body.

Ileum: And guess who wears pink dress shirts.

Fernando: But how could Shu do that? She's the most innocent one here.

Jewel: I believe I got an answer for you guys. When I was leaving the room, I noticed something shiny sticking out from under the bed.

_I watched her produce a dented trophy._

Gordon: I recognize that. That's one of the trophies from the trophy case outside the gym.

Ileum: Perfect. So, after sneaking in, she bashed Xavier over the head with the trophy, knocking him out. She then propped him up, slit his wrist and left him to bleed to death.

Shu let out a pained sob and dropped to her knees.

Shu: It-it's true. I killed him.

Ileum: Why, Shu?

Shu: L-look at the notes.

Ileum: What do you mean?

Shu: I may have written the notes in Spanish, but I still meant what I wrote. I killed him because-because I didn't want you guys to die. I-I'm so sorry.

_I looked around. Everyone's face was painted with disbelief. We watched Shu sob in silence._

Monobear: Well, I think we've all heard enough, it's time to vote.

The votes were unanimous. Shu let out a petrified squeak.

Monobear let out a loud cackle. "You guys are 100% correct; the culprit is Shu Lin, Super High School Level Linguist. The execution shall begin immediately."

"W-what about the antidote to the poison? Y-you said if there was a murder you'd give it to everyone." Shu stood angrily.

"Oh, that? I lied about the poison just so you'd have the motivation to kill." Monobear roared, slapping his knee. The faces of the group turned to complete anger.

"Well, no time to waste, execution time." Monobear grinned. A large button rose in front of him and he slammed down on it with a gavel.

***GAME OVER***

***SHU LIN HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY***

Shu sat at a desk in the middle of a library, reading a book with a smile on her face. Several rows of bookshelves shot out of the ground in front of her, and a book fell onto the ground. Curious, she stands up, pushing in her chair. She walked over to the book and picked it up. It was a pop-up book. A pop-up of Monobear danced merrily in front of her as more rows of books shot out of the ground. Behind her, the first row of shelves began to fall. Shu let out a scared shout, dropped the book and began running the opposite direction of the book avalanche. She kept running until she hit a dead end. She turned and watched in horror as the bookshelves got closer. Shu could do nothing but squeeze her eyes shut as the last row of bookshelves came crashing down on her. When the dust cleared, a single, blood-stained sheet of paper with the word 'DEAD' written on it sailed gently to the ground.

_The atmosphere was thick. Everyone stood in awe at the sight they had just witnessed. Shu was dead, Xavier was dead. There was no poison in the first place; they had both died in vain. Monobear's malevolent cackling filled the school as we began to empty out of the courtroom and return to our dorms. I hit my bed with a thud and fell asleep before I could remember hearing a night time announcement. _


	10. Chapter 2 (Ab)normal Days (Part 1)

"Good morning, you bastards. It's 7am, time to get up. Let's all strive to do our best today."

_My mind registered the morning announcement, but my body refused to move in response. I hoped that maybe if I closed my eyes and waited, I'd wake up in bed at home. No, that wouldn't be happening any time soon._

Ileum heaved herself out of the bed and just stood there for a few minutes.

_I still can't believe they're both dead. I can't believe it was all in vain, there wasn't even any poison to begin with. I can't believe two people died for nothing. I guess we know this really isn't a joke._

There was a knock at the door. Ileum sighed and walked over to it slowly, opening it and looking at her visitor. It was Matea.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hi." Ileum sighed.

"Not much of a morning person?" Matea questioned.

"Normally, I am a morning person. Today, on the other hand, you're lucky I crawled out of bed." Ileum told her.

"Hmm. No sense in letting yourself go over this whole mess, right?" Matea clapped a hand on Ileum's shoulder.

"I suppose."

"Wh-hey, it's not your fault that this whole thing happened."

_She was right. It ISN'T my fault. Then, why, why do I feel so responsible?_

"C'mon," Matea grinned, grabbing Ileum's arm, "Let's go get some breakfast. You don't wanna waste away to nothing before we figure out who's responsible for all this."

Ileum just sort of let Matea drag her to the cafeteria without protesting in the least. They were some of the last people to arrive, but the rest of the students looked relieved that they did. Ileum slinked over to the empty seat next to Seamus and plopped down into it with a sigh.

"Mornin'." Seamus smiled at her gently. Ileum sighed again and laid her head against the table. Seamus frowned and turned to the others with a helpless expression. There was a dull murmur in the cafeteria before Arienne cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Now," Arienne began, "I understand that everyone is upset about yesterday's occurrence. However, that does not change our situation. Has anyone noticed anything different about the school this morning?"

"Ooh! OOH! I noticed that the shutters to the second floor of the main building are open. Pretty cool, huuuh?" Sachiko announced proudly.

"Interesting. It appears the second floor is now accessible. Anything else?" Arienne questioned.

"I don't have anything to confirm, but, I wonder if maybe the pool is open now?" Ileum brought her head up off the table and thought out loud. Everyone was a bit surprised by Ileum's sudden change in attitude, but she dismissed it and continued speaking.

"Maybe we should explore the second floor and look around this floor after breakfast?" She suggested.

"Yes," Arienne nodded, "That is what I would recommend as well."

_It was decided then. After breakfast, we'd spilt up and explore the school, meeting later to share our findings. I still wasn't quite over yesterday, but I figured I might as well repress it and try to get somewhere in this damn school. _

Soon, breakfast had been finished and everyone was going about their business. Ileum slipped out of the cafeteria so she could go explore by herself. She figured that since most of the others would be curious about the second floor, she'd stick to the first floor and avoid people to the best of her abilities.

"You know what, I got better things to do than look blindly around this place." Ileum thought to herself angrily. Yeah, she'd spend the day productively and do some laundry. That sounded like fun. Okay, maybe not fun, but it beat sitting around all day. She sighed and headed back to her room to get some things that needed to be washed and then entered the laundry room. Upon entering, she was immediately relieved that she was alone.

_Watching clothes dry is about as exciting as watching grass grow. Maybe I will just look around the first floor a bit. I think I'll go see if the pool is open._

Ileum hastily made her way to the gym, hoping not to bump into anyone on the way there. When she had finally made it to the small room adjacent to the gym, she noticed that the two changing rooms were unblocked. She also noticed to large machine guns suspended from the ceiling.

Ileum let out an impressed whistle. "Now THOSE are guns."

"You like 'em?" Monobear asked, popping out of nowhere.

"Not exactly what I'd use for hunting, those would destroy a target before simply killing it." Ileum responded, oblivious to who she was talking to.

"That's the idea. If someone of the opposite gender tries to enter a changing room, they get blown to bits." Monobear cackled.

"Whoa…OH SHIT, it's you." She seethed at the bear.

"Such a change in personality, how frightening. Anyway, just scam your ElectroID and you'll be clear to enter your respective changing room unimpeded." Monobear spoke before vanishing.

Ileum shook her head and approached the girl's changing room. She flashed her ID and the door opened, allowing her to step inside. Again, she was glad to see it was empty except for her. She quickly changed into a swimsuit and went through the door leading to the pool. What she wasn't expecting was there to be others in the pool as well. She let out a loud "ahem" and the two looked over at her, faces red.

"W-well, this is unexpected. Didn't you two like, just meet?" Ileum asked, hiding her own face out of embarrassment. Honestly, the sight in front of her was just two dudes kissing, but she couldn't help but feel shocked at how sudden this was.

"W-well, actually…" Gordon began.

"We've, uh, known each other since before startin' here." Seamus added.

"W-why didn't you guys say anything?" Ileum wondered.

"We figured it wasn't that important." Gordon clarified.

"Well, this sure is ONE way for me to find out." Ileum giggled.

"We figured everyone'd be off explorin'." Seamus said.

"That's what I thought too." Ileum nodded.

"Guess we all had the same idea." Gordon chuckled.

"Great minds think alike." Ileum grinned.

Ileum was about to jump in when Arienne entered.

"Oh good, you three are the last ones. We're all meeting in the library on the second floor to discuss our findings." She explained.

With that, Arienne turned and promptly left the pool. Ileum sighed and went to go get changed. She decided to wait for the two guys, and the trio then made their way up to the second floor. Everyone else was already gathered in the library when they arrived.

"Bout time you guys showed up." Bruce groaned.

"Good, now that we're all here, let's talk about what we found." Arienne said.

"Well, I can start by saying that the pool is definitely open." Ileum said, Gordon and Seamus nodding in agreement.

"The infirmary on the first floor is open too." Matea informed.

"I believe that about covers the first floor," Arienne stated, "What about this floor."

"Well, obviously there's a library." Bruce said bluntly. Several of the others shook their heads.

"I meant besides this library." Arienne glared at the male.

"There's a photography classroom." Matea said enthusiastically.

"It even has a dark room and all the equipment." Mary-Anne added.

"Other than that there are just a bunch of normal classrooms." Harrison said.

"Seems like that the second floor doesn't have TOO much to offer." Eurig mused.

"Uh, excuse me; this is a school wide announcement. It is now 10pm. Night time is now in effect. The cafeteria will be locked, and the water will be shut off. In any case, good night, and pleasant dreams." Monobear's voice poured out of the intercom.

"Looks like that's it for today then." Ileum thought out loud. The rest of the group nodded in agreement, and they all began the descent to the second floor.


	11. Chapter 2 (Ab)normal Days (Part 2)

_For some reason I was up early. I knew it was early because I didn't hear the morning announcement. It occurred to me that I forgot my clothes in the dryer yesterday. I slipped out of my room to go get them from the laundry room._

"Good morning, you bastards. It's 7am, time to get up. Let's all strive to do our best today."

Ileum was returning to her room with an armful of clean clothes when the morning announcement went off. She heard the sound of a door or two opening, but dismissed and continued to her room. She skillfully opened the door with an armful of clothes and dropped them on her bed. She shut the door and hastily folded all the clean laundry, putting it away and then heading out of the room. When she made it to the cafeteria, she noticed she was back to arriving in the middle of the group.

"Hey. HEY. SIT NEXT TO ME!" Sachiko screamed across the room, waving her arms to get Ileum's attention.

_Do I? I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I kind of enjoyed hanging out with her last time. Alright, fine, I'll sit next to her._

Ileum sighed and took a seat next to Sachiko, who greeted her with a toothy smile. Ileum rolled her eyes and waited for everyone else to show up.

_Breakfast, once everyone had arrived, went pretty smoothly. Sure, I had to sit next to Sachiko the whole time, but she's not that bad, so I guess I should shut up about the whole thing. Anyway, we agreed to just do whatever today, so that meant I had time to go hang out with everyone. I might as well, since we really ARE stuck here indefinitely. _

Ileum figured she'd go see if anyone was at the pool. She never did get a chance to go swimming yesterday, and if someone else was there then she'd just kill two birds with one stone. She made her way to the girls' changing room, put on a swimsuit and headed to the pool. When she finally exited the changing, she was greeted by a smiling Matea.

"Hey Bambi." Matea teased. Ileum rolled her eyes and sat down on the pool's edge, dipping her legs into the water. Matea swam over and splashed Ileum. Ileum frowned.

"Lighten up Bambi, I'm just playin'." She chuckled.

_Well, now that I'm soaking wet I feel like I already went for a swim. Do I stick around and hang out with Matea?_

Ileum inhaled and slipped into the water. When she emerged, she shook her head and took another big breath.

_I spend a while swimming with Matea. She spent most of the time trying to splash me, and I spent most of the time avoiding her trying to splash me._

"You know," Matea began out of nowhere, "I never pictured you as a swimmer."

"I'm not really one." Ileum replied.

"I can tell. Your form is pretty weak." Matea said bluntly. Ileum frowned and Matea giggled.

"I didn't mean it in a bad way. I just meant that you swim casually."

"H-how else would I swim?" Ileum raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know." Matea shrugged her shoulders.

"You watch too much anime." Ileum sighed.

_I decided that I had spent enough time swimming and went into the changing room. After I was back in my clothes, I exited the changing room and left the gym. You know, I haven't had much culture in a while. I guess I'll go look in the library._

Ileum made her way up the stairs and to the second floor. She entered the library and was surprised to see Bruce in there as well.

"Funny," She began, "You don't strike me as the reading type."

"A lot of people keep saying that. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Of course I can read." Bruce pouted.

"Well, you don't seem like the type to spend their free time in a library." Ileum told him.

"Well I'm not…not usually."

"So what's the special occasion, then?" Ileum raised an eyebrow.

"I-I dunno." Bruce sighed.

_I dunno, Bruce doesn't seem like the BEST choice to spend time with. Then again, he could be lonely and want someone to spend time with him. Oh well, worst case scenario he ignores me and I can look around the library._

Ileum sighed and pulled out the chair next to Bruce, taking a seat. He looked over at her, skeptical.

_I spend some time in awkward silence with Bruce. He tried to read the book in front of him, but spend most of his time glancing over at me. Eventually I got up and went to look for something to read. When I returned with a book of short stories, he was still there, staring at me. I wasn't entirely sure what he wanted at this point, so I decided to just ask._

"Why have you been staring at me for the past half hour?" Ileum asked.

"I'm just curious as to why you decided to stick around." Bruce answered her.

"It's not like I hung around for you or anything. I was coming to the library regardless." Ileum told him, not realizing how cold that statement sounded.

"O-oh." Bruce frowned, shifting in his chair to face away from Ileum.

_Well, it looks like he's the first person I upset. Maybe I should apologize? _

"I didn't mean anything bad. I was coming to the library regardless, is all." She tried to explain.

"Well, I guess just having someone else in the room with me is nice. One of my least favorite parts of libraries is how quiet they are." Bruce replied.

"That-that's kind of the idea, though. It IS a library, after all." Ileum rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I knew that." Bruce's face flushed with embarrassment.

_Turns out that even though Bruce put on this sort of "Street Thug" appearance, he was socially awkward and easily embarrassed. I guess this school is filled with a lot of unique characters. I yawn, a bit tired. Bruce has already stood up to leave._

"I'll just take this with me to my room; I don't think Monobear will mind." Ileum said, slipping the book into her vest. She and Bruce left the library and made their way towards the dorms. Ileum debated making small talk, but decided against it. Finally she reached her room. Upon entering, she placed the short story book on the table and sat down on her bed.

"Uh, excuse me; this is a school wide announcement. It is now 10pm. Night time is now in effect. The cafeteria will be locked, and the water will be shut off. In any case, good night, and pleasant dreams." Monobear's voice poured out of the intercom.

"Well, I guess it's time for bed, then." Ileum sighed. She looked over and got up, walking over to the table. She flopped back down on the bed and flipped to a random story in the book, and began reading.


	12. Chapter 2 (Ab)normal Days (Part 3)

"Good morning, you bastards. It's 7am, time to get up. Let's all strive to do our best today."

_I actually slept well again last night. Maybe today will be a good day._

Ileum hopped out of bed and changed into some of the clean clothes she had folded yesterday. She inhaled the smell of fabric softener with a sigh. She exited her room and bumped straight into Bruce.

"Oww." Ileum hissed.

"Oi, watch where you're going." He replied.

"Me? You were literally outside my door." Ileum glared.

"Oh, hey Ileum. Sorry about that. I just wanted to see if you were awake." Bruce changed his expression.

"Hm? Yeah, clearly I am."

_That's weird. He completely changed his tone and attitude when he realized it was me._

"I just wanted to thank you for yesterday." Bruce scratched the back of his head.

"What for?"

"For hanging out with me in the library. I know it was pretty awkward for you, but it was nice not being alone for a change."

"What do you mean?" Ileum tilted her head in curiosity

"Well, I know I look like I'm hella popular, but a lot of people who hang out with me get the wrong idea about who I am." Bruce sighed. Ileum blinked in response.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring down the mood so early." Bruce lowered his head. Ileum clapped a hand on his shoulder, startling him.

"Relax, dude. Just be yourself and try talking to people." Ileum grinned.

_I can't believe I had to give advice on making friends to someone. That's like…some ironic thing that I can't think of an example of._

"Y-yeah." Bruce nodded. The two of them then turned and walked to the cafeteria. When they entered, they noticed some empty chairs and took a seat next to each other, as well as across from Sachiko and Margaret.

Breakfast was going peacefully, until…

"Hey there, ya bastards." Monobear exclaimed, walking through the cafeteria doors. There was a collective sigh at the sight of the murderous mascot.

"What do you want, bear?" Bruce groaned.

"How beary rude of you. That bearly qualifies as a greeting." Monobear pouted.

"Those bear puns of yours are pretty unbearable," Ileum replied, "damn it, now I'm doing it too."

"Glad to see your charming headmaster has some influence on you uncultured shits. Now, let's get down to business." Monobear chuckled.

"Let me guess," Eurig crossed his arms, "Time for another one of your ridiculous motives."

"You better believe it. There is a distinct lack of dead bodies; I want you guys to change that." Monobear laughed.

"What have you whipped up this time?" Matea questioned.

"So glad you asked. I want you to all report to the second floor immediately." Monobear spoke firmly. Matea opened her mouth.

"And no, no breakfast this time." Monobear growled.

With another group sigh, the teens shuffled out of the cafeteria and into the school's main building. They then began to ascend to the building's second floor. Once everyone was up, the sound of grinding metal could be heard.

"What was that?" Bruce wondered.

"That, my strange haired student, was the shutters closing." Monobear explained.

"W-why?" Mary-Anne went pale.

"Simple. Your motive is to spend as many days as you need trapped up here. No food, no water, no proper beds."

"What about the rule forbidding us from sleeping outside a dorm room?" Fernando shouted out.

"Oh, that. I'm suspending that rule for sake of mutual killing." Monobear put a paw to his chin.

"So we just chill out here for a while, and then what?" Bruce asked.

"Either someone gets murdered or you all starve to death up here." Monobear cackled.

"You're kidding." Matea gasped.

"Haven't you learned yet? I'm a bear of my word." With that, Monobear promptly vanished.

_I knew I jinxed myself this morning by saying today would be a good day. Guess I'll spend my misery with someone else._

Ileum noticed that as she was talking to herself, the others had begun to disperse. She entered the library and noticed Harrison chilling in the corner by himself.

_He isn't very social. He's actually pretty timid. His appearance wouldn't suggest it, though. I guess I'll give him some company._

Ileum approached Harrison, making sure not to surprise him, and sat down in the chair across from him.

"Hey." She smiled.

"H-hi." He replied.

"So, you've been wearing that sweater since after the entrance ceremony." Ileum stated.

"Y-yeah. It covers my tattoos so people don't notice me because of them." Harrison said.

"Why don't you want people to notice you?"

"I get uncomfortable easily."

"Then why do you have the tattoos?" Ileum raised an eyebrow.

"I-it's a long story." Harrison raised the neck of his sweater to cover part of his face.

_I spend time listening to Harrison shakily explain the story behind each of his many tattoos. He seems extremely hesitant at first, but I can actually see him warm up to me as he progresses. With each tattoo, I feel like I've known him for years, the way he explains their meaning is incredible._

"So tattoos are pretty important to you." Ileum smiled.

"Mhmm, they're like a picture or a painting. They aren't just art, they're meaningful. Each one has a story behind it." Harrison nodded with a grin.

"I never thought of it like that." Ileum thought out loud. Harrison got up and waved, making his way into one of the many rows of books. Ileum turned to face in front of her and Eurig was standing there.

"Did you learn teleportation during the afternoon?" Ileum rolled her eyes.

"Would the lady care to accompany me on a walk?" Eurig grinned, extending a hand to Ileum. Ileum rolled her eyes again and batted the hand away, standing up.

"I'll walk with you, but you're the company, I'm the main attraction."

"Fair enough." Eurig smirked.

_This guy is so phony. He thinks his chivalrous, proper act impresses me, but he's wrong. Regardless, I spend some time walking around the second floor with him. The whole time he talked about all the music he contributed in, all the songs he had composed. I don't what Beethoven Wolfganged him up, but I wish they would take him Bach…or something._

Eurig came to a halt and Ileum had to stop short.

"What's the hold up?" Ileum put a hand on her hip.

"Nothing, I just thought I heard something." He replied.

"What did it sound like?" Ileum wondered. Come to think of it, she heard something peculiar too.

"I don't know. I'm certain it's nothing." Eurig waved a hand, dismissing the conversation. The two returned to the library. Ileum watched Eurig go to a book shelf and pull out a thick book, sitting at a table. Ileum was about to do the same when she heard a shrill scream. She froze in her spot. The other students in the library had gathered by the door.

"You guys hear that?" Ileum asked, looking around. Most of the others nodded. Eurig stepped forward.

"I believe it came from the photography room." He reasoned. The group took off for the classroom. They, leaded by Ileum, burst into the classroom. The immediately came to a halt.

"A BODY HAS BEEN DISCOVERED! After a free period of investigation we shall begin the School Trial!" Monobear's voice spoke from the intercom.


	13. Chapter 2 Abnormal Days

_The body announcement confirmed our worst fears. Bruce was dead. Someone had killed him so quickly after the motive was given. Someone was so desperate for their survival that they resorted to murder._

"W-we should inform the others." Eurig suggested, clearing his throat. Ileum nodded and the group dispersed to gather the other students. Eventually everyone had gathered in the library and they were about to begin.

"Hang on," Matea interrupted, "Where's Margaret?"

Ileum felt her blood run cold. What if, what if she-

"Oh, I'm right here. You must forgive me, nature called at the most inopportune time." Margaret cheerfully replied.

"Why are you all wet? Were they out of paper towels?" Mary-Anne questioned.

"Hm? No, actually, I had the worst luck. As I was going to wash my hand, the sink practically exploded and soaked me with water, hence my current appearance." Margaret laughed.

"Guys, this meeting is serious." Ileum tried to get everyone's attention.

"What's going on?" Matea asked.

"It's Bruce…Bruce is dead." Ileum hung her head. The entire library fell silent, more silent than even a library should be.

"Who-who could have done it?" Mary-Anne gasped.

"Obviously that's what the trial is gonna determine." Matea replied.

"Upupupu, you bastards sure do work quick." Monobear laughed, appearing in the center of the crowd.

"What do YOU want?" Ileum growled at the bear.

"I'm just here to present you your first piece of evidence for the trial." Monobear giggled, handing them all a file.

_Might as well look at this thing._

Ileum opened the Monobear file and began to read.

Monobear File #:

-Victim: Bruce Bates, Super High School Level Beat-boxer

-Location of body: Photography classroom

-Time of death: 5:00 PM

-Cause of death: Drowning

**Evidence Acquired-Monobear File #2**

"Well, I guess that makes it official. Here it goes, time to investigate the corpse of another one of my friends." Ileum sighed.

Ileum sighed and made her way back to the photography room. The first thing she noticed upon entering the room was that the sink was now overflowing onto the floor. Ileum carefully made her way over the sink and shut it off. It was then that she noticed the broken metal wristband resting on the faucet. She immediately recognized it as Bruce's.

**Evidence Acquired: Broken Metal Wristband**

She then began inspecting his body.

"I guess it's safe to say he was drowned here." Ileum looked at the full sink, nodding to herself.

**Evidence Acquired: Sink in Photography Classroom**

Nothing about the body struck Ileum as odd, that was until she saw his arms.

_They're riddled with holes. They look like stab wounds, all defensive. He probably would've been stabbed to death if he wasn't drowned._

**Evidence Acquired: Stab Wounds on Arms**

_It'd be nice if I could find the weapon used to inflict these wounds._

Ileum was about to leave the body when she noticed the blood all over the walls and cabinets.

**Evidence Acquired: Blood Splatter on Walls and Cabinets**

That wasn't it, though. Ileum decided to inspect the blood on the walls closer. She gasped when she noticed something. The word 'AURA' was messily smeared in the blood.

**Evidence Acquired: 'AURA' Written in Blood on Wall**

Ileum glanced across the room and noticed the dark room. She knew it was a stretch, but figured she'd look in there anyway.

_I hope no one has any photos developing in here. _She thought as she hit the light switch for the dark room. She stepped inside and noticed very little out of the ordinary. There were two things that caught her attention.

**Evidence Acquired: Bloody Bracelet in Dark Room**

**Evidence Acquired: Blood Trail in Dark Room**

Ileum looked around once more and then slipped out of the dark room. She wasn't too confident, but there was one place left on the second floor that she wanted to check. She stood outside the girls' restroom and sighed.

"I really hope there's something in here." Ileum said to herself as she opened the door. She was expecting to be greeted by a mess, and she wasn't disappointed. Although there was no water spraying, probably because it was shut off externally, the floor was covered in it. She was thankful she wore boots as she sloshed over to the broken sink.

_This sink is the only one that looks like it's been run recently, it must be the one Margaret mentioned._

**Evidence Acquired: Margaret's Testimony**

Ileum was about to dismiss the broken sink as Monobear's cheap maintenance habits when she noticed something odd.

_Is that…a foot print?_

**Evidence Acquired: Bloody Footprint on Broken Sink**

_Why would there be a bloody foot print on a sink? Sinks can't bleed… Must be important, if only I knew why. Huh? What's that?_

Ileum noticed something shining in a trash can floating in the water. She grabbed the trash can and set it on one of the dry sinks. On top of what looked like used, bloody paper towels was a bloody pair of scissors.

**Evidence Acquired: Bloody Paper Towels**

**Evidence Acquired: Bloody Scissors**

Ileum sighed and waded out of the bathroom. She shivered with disgust as she squished in her now soaked clothes. She looked over and was a bit upset to see the shutters still closed tight, keeping everyone upstairs.

"Well, folks, I'll make you all a proposition" Monobear spoke over the intercom, "I'll let you all back downstairs so that you can eat and clean up before the trial, but that will forbid you from returning her to investigate."

Ileum decided to talk to the others and see if they were ready to make a decision. Apparently everyone else had that thought too, as everyone had, once again, gathered in the library.

"I take it you all heard the announcement too." Ileum said as she entered.

"Yeah." Gordon nodded.

"What does everyone think?" Eurig put a hand on his hip.

"I'm all set; I think I got all I could." Ileum shrugged her shoulders.

"What about everyone else?" Eurig continued.

"I think we're all set, right guys?" Gordon spoke, the rest nodding in agreement.

"You bastards make a decision yet?" Monobear appeared in front of them.

"We're all ready, right?" Ileum spoke, the others, once again, nodding in agreement.

"Excellent, remember, you can't investigate anymore after this. In fact, within the next hour the trial will begin, so you'll have just enough time to eat something and clean yourselves up. Can't have you starving to death or stinking up the place during the trial, can we?" Monobear crossed his arms. He then proceeded to make a motion as if snapping his nonexistent fingers and the shutters to the first floor opened. The kids were more than willing to head down, Ileum in particular looking forward to changing out of the wet clothes she was currently wearing.

_I changed quickly and ran over to the cafeteria, hungrier than I actually realized. Seems like everyone else had the same idea, yet again, and was also there. We all ate hastily, and right as the last person finished, it happened._

"Alright, boys and girls, it's time for the class trial, please report to the elevator immediately."


	14. Chapter 2 Trial

_The elevator stopped with a thud, and, yet again, we lurched forward a bit. The doors opened and I watched everyone step into the courtroom slowly. I sighed and exited the elevator as well. I looked around the courtroom, noticing the three photos of fallen fellow students behind their podiums. Soon, we would make it four._

**CLASS TRIAL: IN SESSION**

"Anyway, I can see you guys are all anxious, so let me just go over the trial really quick. The votes of you all determines the trial's outcome. Find out the **true culprit**, and they, and they alone, will be executed. However, choose wrong, and **everyone but the culprit** gets punished instead, leaving the culprit to escape by graduating." Monobear explained.

"Are you going to go over the rules every time we hold a trial?" Matea asked the bear.

"Mhmm, yeah, probably." Monobear replied smugly. Matea rolled her eyes.

_I knew the trial was about to start, but I still couldn't shake the disbelief. Someone killed one of us…again. Right, it's my job to make this trial as quick and painless as possible, let's do this._

Arienne: Alright, let's begin. The victim is Super High School Level Beat-boxer, Bruce Bates.

Arienne: According to the Monobear File, he was killed at 5:00 PM in the photography classroom on the second floor.

Eurig: Yes, around that time we were all trapped on the second floor, due to Monobear's little motive.

Monobear: That's right, you were all there. It could've been any of you, how exciting.

Ileum: So it's possible any of us could have done it, although I was with Harrison, Eurig and a few others in the library at the time.

Eurig: Yes, we were all there.

Harrison: Y-yeah. I think Mary-Anne and Matea were there too.

Matea: Yup, we were looking for books about feminism.

Mary-Anne: I found a book about race cars too.

Arienne: Alright, I suppose that since you agree as a group, your alibi seems solid.

Gordon: Then who did it?

Arienne: Anyone else could be the culprit, in that case.

Ileum: Perhaps we should start by discussing the scene.

_Yeah, after all, we can't figure out who did it if we don't know HOW it happened._

Matea: So…how did he die?

_**-Evidence: Monobear File #2**_

Ileum: According to the Monobear File, he was drowned.

Matea: He was drowned? In a photography room? **How the fuck is that possible?**

_**-Evidence: Sink in Photography Classroom**_

Ileum: When I went to investigate the photography classroom, the sink was on and spilling out onto the floor. That means it was already pretty full, full enough to drown Bruce in, all the culprit had to do was hold him under.

Matea: Yeah…makes sense, I guess. **B-but how did the sink get turned on?**

_**-Evidence: Broken Metal Wristband**_

Ileum: This was on the handle to the faucet. Bruce must have turned quickly and snagged the wristband on the sink, snapping it and turning on the faucet, all without him realizing.

Matea: I guess that makes sense too.

Seamus: So you're meanin' to tell me that he made it possible for him to be drowned?

Ileum: Unfortunately it looks that way.

Seamus: So, what made him turn 'round?

Ileum: That's a good question…

_I don't actually have any clues that could lead me to making a call on that._

Eurig: Perhaps he heard someone approaching and turned to see who it was?

Ileum: Yeah. He was the Beat-boxer, which means he had to have exceptional hearing. He probably heard the culprit enter the room and turned around to greet them, not expecting them to murder him.

Sachiko: Hmmmmmm, okay, but clearly drowning wasn't the way the culprit **WANTED to kill him.**

_**-Evidence: Stab Wounds on Arms**_

Ileum: I agree with that. Look at his arms, look at all the stab wounds. They're all on his arms, as if he was blocking a weapon. When he turned around, the culprit went to stab at him, but he blocked the attack with his arms, and that meant the culprit had to compromise. Fortunately for them, the sink was on and already filling with water.

Sachiko: Ahahaha, yeah that sounds pretty reasonable. In fact, it explains all the blood on the walls and cabinets and stuff behind him.

_**-Evidence: Blood Splatter on Walls and Cabinets**_

Ileum: Yes. The walls by the sink were covered with blood.

Margaret: So, whoever stabbed him must have been covered in blood too. But, no one here was covered in blood when we met in the library.

Ileum: It's funny that you, of all people, brought that up, Margaret.

Margaret: Well, of course, your aura is so strong and assertive; all I must do is assist in backing your claim.

Fernando: So, if no one was covered in blood, how do we know who did it?

Ileum: Simple, the culprit has already spoken in this trial.

Fernando: Oh? Who?

Ileum: That's simple, it was you, Margaret.

_I could tell everyone was skeptical. Margaret seemed like the last one to commit a murder, and I could see that they didn't believe me. Fortunately, I had evidence._

Ileum: I want to bring your attention to the girls' restroom on the second floor.

Eurig: That room proved extremely difficult to investigate, due to the large amount of water.

Ileum: Fortunately, I wear boots, so I had no problem looking around thoroughly.

Matea: So what, you found water?

_**-Evidence: Bloody Scissors**_

Ileum: No, well, yes, there was water. But no, I found these in the garbage can. They are covered in blood, and they match the wounds on Bruce's arms. Clearly, these were the intended murder weapon and the device used to stab Bruce. Margaret must have dumped them in the garbage can when she was in there.

Seamus: But how do you know she was in there?

_**-Evidence: Margaret's Testimony**_

Ileum: When she arrived late to the meeting, she mentioned she had been in the restroom because "nature had called". She was obviously in there to clean herself up after the murder.

_**-Evidence: Bloody Paper Towels**_

Ileum: I found these in the garbage can under the scissors. She must have used these to wipe the blood off her arms and face.

Jewel: Aight, but what about her shirt? Blood ain't gonna just wipe off.

Ileum: But remember how she was when she came in?

"Hang on," Matea interrupted, "Where's Margaret?"

Ileum felt her blood run cold. What if, what if she-

"_Oh, I'm right here. You must forgive me, nature called at the most inopportune time." Margaret cheerfully replied._

"_Why are you all wet? Were they out of paper towels?" Mary-Anne questioned. _

"_Hm? No, actually, I had the worst luck. As I was going to wash my hand, the sink practically exploded and soaked me with water, hence my current appearance." Margaret laughed._

Jewel: Mhmm, girl was soaked through to the bone.

Ileum: Well, I suspect that she broke the sink and let herself get sprayed just to create an alibi.

Fernando: But how would she break a sink?

_**-Evidence: Bloody Footprint on Broken Sink**_

Ileum: Simple. She kicked it until it broke, but she didn't realize she had blood on her shoe.

Margaret: But maybe it is not my shoe?

_I figured she'd say that. I step out from behind my podium and walk around the courtroom, stopping to check everyone's shoes. When I get to Margaret, I have her lift up her feet one at a time. Her shoes are clean, but the sole pattern is identical to the print. I nod and return to my spot._

Ileum: As I suspected, the footprint is identical to Margaret's shoe's sole.

Harrison: O-okay, but, Ileum, we all went to the photography room right after the we heard the scream. We would have seen her leaving.

_**-Evidence: Blood Trail in Dark Room**_

Ileum: Simple as well, she hid in the dark room as soon as she heard us coming. Bruce's blood dripped off of her and onto the dark room floor.

_**-Evidence: Bloody Bracelet in Dark Room**_

Ileum: Margaret, I noticed you aren't wearing your bracelet today.

Margaret: I, um, misplaced it. Terrible, it was my favorite too.

Ileum: Don't worry, I found it covered in blood in the dark room. When you were hiding, it must have fallen off without you noticing.

Margaret: But why on earth would I murder anyone? How do you know?

_**-Evidence: 'AURA' Written in Blood on Wall**_

Ileum: Margaret, you can read peoples' auras, correct?

Margaret: That is correct.

Ileum: I found the word 'AURA' smeared in blood on the wall. Bruce wrote it, and you didn't notice because you were too busy drowning him.

Margaret: Your aura shows your uncertainty. Perhaps you should have searched harder.

Ileum: No, I think I'm right on the money. Allow me to explain. I don't know your motive, but you found Bruce in the photography room. He was standing at the counter, and you figured you could jump him. You grabbed a pair of scissors from the desk and went for it. He heard you and turned, his wristband snagging on the sink and turning it on. He blocked his body as you stabbed at him, filling his arms with stab wounds, causing him to scream in pain, alerting us. You realized your plan wasn't working, so you overpowered him and shoved his head into the sink. Without you noticing, he wrote 'AURA' in his own blood on the wall. You quickly hid in the dark room, dropping your bracelet and dripping his blood in there. Once we had left to gather the others, you snuck into the girls' restroom and washed off your arms. You threw the paper towels and the scissors into the garbage can and busted the sink, using it to rinse off your shirt and give you an alibi.

Margaret hung her head. Ileum grinned; she knew she had her at this point. Margaret began to chuckle, and suddenly her laughter filled the courtroom.

Margaret: How right you are. I did kill him.

Ileum: Why?

Margaret: Why, it's written on the wall. His aura.

Jewel: Girl, whatchu mean?

Margaret: His aura was beyond repair. Just looking at it sent me into a fit. He had to be eliminated before it tainted the rest of you. It was for your own good.

Monobear: Alrighty, I think it's time to vote.

The votes were cast, Monobear looking at each one. When the last vote came in, he let out a chuckle.

"You're all absolutely correct. The culprit this time around is Margaret Ackerly, Super High School Level Arborist." Monobear laughed even louder.

Margaret smiled gently, "I'm glad that I could save you all from the tainted aura before it was too late."

"You know the rules; it's time for you to receive your punishment." Monobear grinned. A large button rose in front of him and he slammed down on it with a gavel.

***GAME OVER***

***MARGARET ACKERLY HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY***

Margaret sat in an open field, sun shining warmly on her and the wind blew gently. She looked around, small animals frolicking about. Suddenly the ground began to rumble. The sky grew dark and the wind turned violent. Trees began to erupt out of the ground, violently shaking the earth and sending Margaret toppling over. The trees towered over her, causing her to look up in fear. She stood up shakily and tried to find an exit from the forest that now surrounded her. When she was unable, she began to run blindly. A tree shot up in front of her, and she collided with it. She stopped and rubbed her face in pain. She then heard a thud. The trees had started falling. She screamed and ran the opposite direction. She finally made it out of the collapsing forest when an axe flung down from midair and decapitated her. Her headless body toppled to the ground as the last tree fell.

_Everyone watched silently. The horror from witnessing the first execution was not present in this situation. Margaret, unlike Shu, showed no remorse for her crime. It was still painful for us to watch, but, perhaps we were growing a bit more desensitized because we had experienced this before._


	15. Chapter 3 (Ab)normal Days (Part 1)

"Good morning, you bastards. It's 7am, time to get up. Let's all strive to do our best today."

_I woke up as usual. I guess I wasn't bothered by the trial that was held yesterday. Sure, it seems a bit…heartless, but Margaret had killed Bruce and showed no remorse. In fact, she seemed, dare I say, pleased, about her deed. Maybe-maybe I shouldn't dwell on this._

A knock on the door snapped Ileum back to reality. She rolled out of bed with a groan and stalked over to the door, opening it swiftly and quietly. A startled Harrison stood on the other side. He hesitated, afraid to push her over the edge with his words.

"Morning." She grumbled, putting him a bit at ease. Harrison smiled at her, not really sure what to say at this point.

"Was there something you wanted?" Ileum asked with a sigh.

"I-uh, how are you this morning?" He managed to reply.

Ileum sighed more deeply this time, "I'm alive, that's what counts, right?"

"I-I guess." He nodded.

"C'mon, let's go to the cafeteria." Ileum said, slipping out of her room and shutting the door. Harrison nodded and followed her in silence. Ileum noticed that each time she stopped, Harrison mimicked her actions. She chuckled to herself, earning a confused look from the male. She waved a hand dismissively and they continued walking. When they arrived at the cafeteria, Harrison looked around with a saddened sigh.

"What's the matter?" Ileum cocked an eyebrow.

"Nothing, it's just…up until now I used to sit with Bruce. Now I, uh, I can't." Harrison's face fell. Ileum put a hand on his shoulder.

"Just come sit with me then." She said, a small smile forming on her face.

"R-really?" Harrison's face lit up. Ileum replied with a nod. The two sat down and Seamus sat across from them.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Ileum teased. Seamus grinned, a blush creeping onto his face.

"He's takin' a shower; he'll be here in a few minutes." Seamus replied.

"B-boyfriend?" Harrison tilted his head in confusion. Ileum and Seamus looked at each other, over to Harrison, and then back at each other, before laughing.

"Long story." Ileum wiped a tear from her eye.

The group of teens ate mostly in silence, with the exception of a couple private conversations. Halfway through, however, Arienne called their attention.

"Everyone, I can only assume that the third floor is open as of today, we should all investigate and report back later today." She suggested, much like the last time a floor had opened. Everyone was, much like last time, in agreement. Ileum sighed and figured she might as well go investigate this time around. Immediately upon arriving at the third floor, Ileum noticed a door across from the stairs. It looked colorful and unusually inviting. She shrugged and entered. It was a game room.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this." She thought out loud.

"Neither was I!" Matea exclaimed from behind her, making Ileum jump a bit.

"Give me a heart attack, why don't you." Ileum groaned, clutching her chest.

"Lighten up, Bambi." Matea giggled, checking out the room. Ileum rolled her eyes.

_The room is filled with a cabinet of tabletop games, a few actual table games and several arcade machines. A TV sits in the opposite corner, another cabinet with various game systems next to it. I'm actually a bit…surprised at how well stocked the place is. It appears to have all the newest and most up to date technology readily available. Then again, I've never been too big on video games._

Ileum looked around one last time, noticing Matea enthusiastically gripping onto a controller, before heading back into the hallway. She made her way down the corridor and around the corner. She entered the next door and found herself in an art room. She, once again, looked around the room.

_I've never seen so much art stuff in my life. Then again, I was never big on art either. I see Harrison over there, he seems a bit distracted. I can't help but notice a huge grin plastered on his face. That's right; his profile said that he draws every tattoo by hand before he does them. I guess it makes sense that he'd enjoy this room. Oh, he noticed me._

"Hey, Ileum," He said happily, approaching her, "Check out all these art supplies? I can finally do some more drawings."

"That's cool, but, uh, I was never a big art person." Ileum replied with a forced smile.

"Oh, uh, I-I could teach you." Harrison grinned.

"Thanks, but, I don't think art is really for me." Ileum declined.

"O-oh. Okay then." Harrison smiled; a bit disappointed she declined his offer. She smiled apologetically and turned, returning to the art supplies he was looking through when she entered. Ileum turned and left the room. She made her way down the hallway again, arriving at the final door she could see. Once she entered, she stood, looking up in awe at the machine that towered over everything else in the room.

"What on earth-?"

"Heyoooo," Monobear popped out of thin air, waving a paw at Ileum, "Bet you're wondering what that is, huh?"

"A little, but I feel like if I ask you you'll say something like "It's a time machine" and I'll go "Really?" and you'll go "Haha, no, you sucker"." Ileum glared at the bear.

"Wha? You're no fun, you know that? Fine, I'll cut to the chase. That there is an air purifier." Monobear sighed.

"Air purifier?" Ileum looked at the bear in confusion.

"Yeah, you don't think air in here stays fresh and breathable because you will it to, do ya?" Monobear crossed his arms.

"I guess I never thought about it." Ileum shrugged.

"That's the problem with teenagers, they never think. The air from the outside is no good, so it has to be filtered by this machine before you bastards breathe it. I can't have you dying from nasty air before you get a chance to kill each other, can I?" Monobear laughed. Ileum shook her head at the bear's ridiculous comment. Monobear frowned and disappeared again.

_I think that's all I'm going to learn from this floor. I suppose I'll head down to the cafeteria and see what everyone else thinks about it. As I head back into the hallway, I can't but feel my attention drawn to the air purifier one more time. I have a bad feeling just looking at the thing, but I shake my head, it's probably just indigestion. _

Ileum made her way down to the cafeteria, just in time for Arienne to close the doors. Ileum looked at the blonde in confusion.

"Uh, excuse me; this is a school wide announcement. It is now 10pm. Night time is now in effect. The cafeteria will be locked, and the water will be shut off. In any case, good night, and pleasant dreams." Monobear's voice poured out of the intercom.

_I guess the announcement was all I needed to hear. Arienne mouthed the words 'tomorrow morning' before strutting off towards her dorm room. I sighed and returned to my room too. As my head hit the pillow, my thoughts slowly drifted back to the air purifier on the third floor._

Ileum sighed and began to make her way downstairs


End file.
